Month: August 2022

Spotify is fully separating its play and shuffle buttons — but only for Premium subscribers. Today, the company announced that it’s beginning to roll out individual buttons for the two functions, which will replace the combined play / shuffle button that’s currently at the top of playlists and artist pages. The change is expected to hit Android and iOS devices “in the coming weeks.”

“This new change will allow you to choose the mode you prefer at the top of playlists and albums and listen the way you want to,” Spotify wrote on its blog. “Whether you love the joy of the unexpected with Shuffle mode, or prefer listening to tunes in order by simply pressing Play, Spotify has you covered.”

Spotify’s penchant for shuffling tracks has, at…

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Sony’s getting rid of Accolades, a PlayStation 5 feature present since the system launched, because apparently, no one uses it (via Eurogamer). In case you haven’t heard of it (which wouldn’t be all that surprising), Accolades is a way to anonymously reward other players online for being a “good sport,” “helpful,” or “welcoming,” which then appear on players’ profiles.

On a PlayStation support page, Sony says Accolades will disappear this fall, and its message is actually kind of sad. “The feature hasn’t seen the level of usage we anticipated, so we are refocusing our efforts,” Sony says. “We encourage the community to continue to send positive messages to one another.”

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In a recent (and very funny) blog post, The Verge’s Liz Lopatto bemoans the ad-ification and TikTok-ification of Instagram and other social media sites. “Can someone just build a simple photo app that isn’t sleazy and let me know where it is so that my friends can join it?” she asks. And she apparently hasn’t been the only one — it’s gotten to the point where Instagram is starting to walk back some of its changes due to user complaints.

The comments section of Liz’s post soon became filled with various suggestions for alternative photo sites where you could post your cat pix and other cute / funny / beautiful photos and have your friends and family be able to admire and discuss them. I took a look at some of them (and some that I found…

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BMW issued a recall notice for a “small number” of 2022 i4 sedans and iX SUVs due to the risk of battery fires. According to the recall, the high voltage battery “may have internal damage,” which can result in an electrical short circuit.

The recall only covers 83 vehicles that have been sold in the US, but BMW is advising owners not to drive them, to park them outside or away from other vehicles and structures that could catch on fire, and not to charge them. BMW dealers will replace the battery free of charge.

The recall was issued after BMW became aware of “a non-US field incident involving a 2022 BMW i4 eDrive40” last April. An engineering analysis found that debris, specifically pieces of cathode, were seeping into the battery…

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