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Send Starbucks lattes to your lover with iMessage
Saying "I love you" with a Grande Soy Latte just got a little easier. Starbucks updated its iOS app with its first iMessages offering which allows you to send anyone you chat with a Starbucks gift card without interrupting the flow of your conversation. The Starbucks app update also includes enhanced push notifications, a new mobile ordering interface and new filtering options for locating a nearby location.
Waze's 'Order Ahead' is a quicker way to grab food on the go
Waze is a valuable travel buddy because of the many ways it can assist you on the road. The navigation app helps drivers avoid traffic, it integrates with Spotify, and it has a growing ride-sharing platform. In an effort to aid users in all commute-related endeavors, drivers can now place a Dunkin' Donuts order right from the Waze app.
Starbucks' iPhone app lets you order by talking to it
Starbucks is continuing its efforts to stay on top of technological trends by adding new voice-ordering functions to its iOS app and Amazon's Alexa digital assistant. Called "My Starbucks barista" on iOS, the service is being rolled out to select customers today as an extension of the company's Mobile Order and Pay feature, which lets users send and pay for an order ahead of time. At the same time, the company is launching a Starbucks Reorder Skill to the Alexa platform.
Starbucks locations are now 'Pokémon Go' Gyms or Pokéstops
We knew a Starbucks collaboration with Pokémon Go was on the way, but now it's official. Niantic, the developer of the massively popular augmented reality game, revealed today that around 7,800 Starbucks coffee shops in the US have been turned into Gyms or Pokéstops. Aside from this, since these are sponsored locations after all, trainers can also pick up a special Pokémon Go Frappuccino drink. And, just like you can do at Sprint stores now, you'll have access to a charging station too.
'Pokémon Go' may get 100 new Pokémon this week (updated)
Pokémon Go is about to get bigger, according to a handful of Starbucks employee guides that found their way online early this week. The images have not been verified by Niantic, the Pokémon Company or Starbucks, but Reddit sleuths claim that verified Starbucks employees have vouched for their veracity. "The world of Pokémon Go is about to expand with new Pokémon and a new Starbucks beverage!" the "Barista need-to-know" guide says. The flyers indicate that Pokémon Go's second generation will kick off on Thursday, December 8th.
Chase Pay's QR code-powered app only works at two stores (updated)
Retailers spent years trying to develop a mobile payment system capable of competing with Apple Pay and Android Pay, and at last, CurrentC has arrived. It's come in the form of the Chase Pay app, which allows customers of the bank to use its QR code-powered transactions at exactly two retailers: Best Buy and Starbucks (Walmart will join the list in 2017). Ever since its unveiling, the system has faced charges that it exists to benefit retailers instead of customers, and there's very little here to make us recommend using it over any other mobile payment service.
Alphabet's drone service reportedly nixes Starbucks delivery deal
It looks like Alphabet is walking back its Project Wing drone delivery initiative. Some employees are being told to seek other jobs within the company formerly known as Google, and the outfit even killed a partnership with Starbucks, according to Bloomberg. Wait, Starbucks? Apparently, there were talks of using the drones to deliver coffee, much in the way that Chipotle was going to fly burritos to Virginia Tech students. Google provides WiFi at some of the coffee chain's locations. "Those plans were nixed largely over disagreements about the access to customer data that Alphabet wanted," according to Bloomberg's sources. Sounds like classic Alphabet.
Clinton campaign considered Tim Cook and Bill Gates for VP
One of the nuggets of information to come from the Podesta emails leaked by Wikileaks is a correspondence that lists business and tech leaders as potential running mates for presidential candidate Hillary Clinton. If you're running against a business man, you might as well fight commerce with commerce.
Starbucks starts selling Lyft gift cards today
Lyft is teaming up with Starbucks to offer special $20 Lyft gift cards at participating stores across the nation. Now, when you head into the coffee shop for a quick caffeine fix, you'll also be able to pick up the gift cards for friends and family. With each gift card you purchase for someone else, you'll get a kickback of a $5 Starbucks gift card as well.
Android Pay Day offers UK discounts for mobile payments
Now that Android Pay is available in the UK, Google wants to make sure people are actually using it. The company has come up with a promotion called Android Pay Day, which offers discounts every month on the Tuesday before your next pay slip. The scheme kicks off today with two deals; firstly, in Starbucks, you can get two-for-one on Frappucinos; the second is a £5 voucher (ANDROIDPAY5 for new users, ANDROIDPAY2.5 for existing customers) that you can redeem inside the Deliveroo app, provided you select Android Pay as your payment method at checkout.
Use Microsoft Outlook to schedule a meeting at Starbucks
At March's Build developer conference, Microsoft gave the full rundown on a number of Office extensions for Mac. Part of that announcement was a Starbucks add-in that allows you to send gift cards and book meetings inside Outlook. Well, that extension, er "add-in," is ready for prime time. This means that you can easily send a "thank you" cup of coffee or schedule a meeting at your nearby Starbucks location while you're looking at a related email. And if you need to place an order, the add-in will boot you out to the coffee company's mobile app to input all the details for your Grand Soy Latte or Iced Americano.
Microsoft Office for Mac now supports add-in extensions
Microsoft Office didn't get a ton of stage time at Build this year, but the company announced a handful of improvements for both users and developers. Probably the most notable was the news that "add-ins" for Office (which work similar to browser extensions) would be coming to Office for Mac for the first time. It's a smart move to get those add-ins out to the Mac, because they're already available on Windows, the iPad and the online Office interface. Making them work with Office on the Mac goes helps unify the platform, something Microsoft has made a major focus in recent years.
Starbucks Mobile Order & Pay comes to Android and more UK stores
If there's anything Brits enjoy more than an orderly queue, it's skipping one. That's what the Mobile Order & Pay feature in Starbucks' mobile app is all about, allowing you to skip straight to the in-store collection point, much to the frustration of more patient patrons. The feature launched last autumn for iOS users, and was further limited in that it was only available in select London outlets. From today, however, Mobile Order & Pay is now baked into Starbucks' Android app and furthermore, customers can now order ahead in stores "nationwide" -- or at over 300 participating outlets across the UK, anyway. Perfect if you're late for work and still need an unseasonal mocha frappé to start the day, then.
Starbucks' app is now a Shazam for coffee shop beats
You're in a Starbucks. A sick beat suddenly kicks in over the PA. You must know who is filling your ears with musical wonderment. Normally, you'd pull out your phone, launch Shazam (or maybe consult Siri or Google Now) and sample what there is to offer. Now, Starbucks insists, you should choose its official app, which today gained the ability to identify what track is currently playing in your local store and let you save it to your Spotify account, regardless of whether you're a Premium subscriber or not.
Starbucks now delivers coffee in Seattle thanks to Postmates
We've known about Starbucks' plans to offer delivery, starting in its hometown, since this spring. The coffee purveyor promised the service would go live this year, and it's keeping its word. Customers in the Seattle area now have the option of delivery when placing an order through the Starbucks iOS app. Simply input your address, create that beverage of choice and a Postmates courier will be dispatched to pick up the order from the location closest to you. You'll also be able to track your cup of joe in real time.
Starbucks' store of the future bets on tech, luxury and alcohol
Starbucks stores are designed to feel welcoming and instantly familiar. In most locations, you know exactly what to do -- a long bar sits against one of the walls and you slowly work your way down, explaining your order, paying and finally waiting for your chosen beverage(s) at the end. Not so in London's Starbucks Reserve Bar. A first for Europe, this new establishment on Upper St. Martin's Lane uses technology to radically change the in-store experience. For starters, there are only a couple of traditional cash registers -- Starbucks has given tablets to a handful of staff instead, which they can use to take your order from anywhere inside the store. The company hopes this will reduce queue times and also create a more "open" atmosphere in the bar. If you're an iPhone user, you can also use Mobile Order & Pay in the Starbucks app to complete an order at any time.
Starbucks starts testing in-building delivery in New York City
Starbucks is no stranger to delivery, thanks to a hand from Postmates. However, the bean-slinging company is taking matters into its own hands with a new delivery option. The "Green Apron" service is in the testing phase inside the Empire State Building in New York City. The idea here is that Starbucks has its own setup in the building and can drop off coffee and food orders in 30 minutes or less. Don't expect a full-on retail location where you can sit and sip in, though, as the kitchen is dedicated to delivery orders. On the surface it may seem like overkill to have a dedicated Starbucks for one building, but when you factor in the thousands of caffeine addicts that work there, it makes a lot of sense. There's a dedicated website where orders are placed and the customer is able to specify a meeting spot (the reception desk, for example) to pick up that PSL. While the service is a trial for now, the company could expand it to other large office buildings or packed urban areas in the future. [Image credit: Craig Warga/Bloomberg via Getty Images]
Apple Pay coming to Starbucks, KFC and Chili's in the next year
In a sign that Apple Pay is gaining traction with even more retailers, VP of Apple Pay Jennifer Bailey has just announced on stage at Code/Mobile a plan to roll out Apple Pay in Starbucks, KFC and Chili's locations across the country. You can expect to see Apple Pay in a few pilot Starbucks outlets later this year, with a larger roll out in 2016. Apple Pay in KFC should start early next year, while Chili's is expected to implement a unique pay-at-the-table mobile payment solution.
Starbucks' app lets UK users pre-order drinks and skip the queue
Starbucks first allowed US customers to begin pre-ordering drinks and food at the end of last year, but it took until late last month for it to become available to both iOS and Android users across the country. Meanwhile Brits were left out in the cold. Luckily, the coffee giant has now decided to include the UK, as Mobile Order & Pay has today begun rolling out across 150 of its London stores.
Starbucks adds mobile pay and ordering to its Android app
The day when you no longer have to scream "No, you fool! I ordered a Venti Decaf Non-Fat Pumpkin Spice Latte!" at your barista is finally upon us. Starbucks has tweaked its Android app to bake-in both ordering and payments straight from your phone, saving you the drama of having to explain your arcane coffee needs to another human. The feature was originally tested last December in Portland, and was added to the iOS version of the app back in July. The app will work in the US, Canada and in the UK, although the mobile ordering will only work in stores that the company owns -- there's a big venti question mark over if it'll work in other locations. Oh, and don't shout at your barista, because it's both very rude and a one-way ticket to guaranteeing your coffee has something extra special inside.
