As we head into the end of November, companies are working to release the last product updates for 2020. The next couple of weeks will be busy. This week there was a surprise YouTube Terms of Service update (with some controversial provisions), new Meet video call features, end-to-end encryption in Android Messages,new Twitter “Fleets” stories and more.
Companies are stepping up to help Americans (and people around the world) gather virtually.
Google is also supporting Black-owned businesses by promoting #BlackOwnedFriday and offering a free promotional kit.
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This week is the Thanksgiving holiday in the US that focuses on gatherings of family and friends to feast and (at least theoretically) share thanks. It’s usually one of the busiest travel times of the year. This year, with coronavirus cases sharply on the rise in the US, people are being encouraged to stay home.Companies are stepping up to help Americans (and people around the world) gather virtually.
- Google Meet is being made available in classic Hangouts, and if you have been using Hangouts video calling it’s worth giving Meet a try. You can host a call with up to 100 participants (rather than 10), and there are live captions, background replacement and more.
- Zoom is lifting the 40 minute meeting limit on Thanksgiving Day, so people anywhere in the world can chat all day for free.
- And Microsoft Teams has opened up video calling on the web to free accounts. You can host an all-day video call with up to 300 people.
Google is also supporting Black-owned businesses by promoting #BlackOwnedFriday and offering a free promotional kit.
YouTube
- YouTube updated their terms of service this week. The new terms classify payments to Partners as “royalties” with potential tax liabilities for creators outside the US, and, controversially, that they may place ads on videos without sharing revenue if the channel is not in the YouTube Partner Program. The new terms are already in effect in the US and will take effect in other countries in 2021. There should be more information in the coming months.
- It is no longer possible to link your YouTube channel to Google Analytics, to get stats for your channel home tab. If you already have your channel linked, you can view your channel page data until February 1, 2021.
- Apply for the YouTube Creator Research program to get a sneak peek at features in development and provide feedback to the product teams.
- YouTube is introducing audio ads. While the announcement is aimed at advertisers, if you listen to music on YouTube the ads may be more appropriately audio oriented in the future.
- If your YouTube channel is eligible for a Merch Shelf, integrate it with Teespring for Cyber Weekend (November 27-30) live stream shopping. Live merch alerts show a notice when a fan purchases one of your products in the live stream chat. The Merch Shelf is available to channels in the YouTube Partner Program with at least 10,000 subscribers.
Publisher Tools
- You can now embed Apple-hosted Podcasts on your website or blog.
- It’s now easier to create and monetize a Google-powered search engine for your website in your AdSense account.
- AdMob offers new ad formats to app developers, including app open ads, rewarded interstitials ads, and adaptive banners. Google notes that implementing these could increase your ad revenue.
Video Calling
- Google Meet calling is rolling out in classic Hangouts. While blocking isn’t available, you can report abusive meeting participants. I’ve put together a tutorial and video to show you how to do that.
- Google Meet has launched hand raising. This feature is not available to Workspace Business Starter or G Suite Basic customers, or Google personal accounts.
- Google Meet is expanding the availability of breakout rooms to more Google Workspace customers. This feature is not available to Workplace Business Starter, G Suite Basic, Education, and Nonprofits customers, or Google personal accounts.
- Zoom is removing the 40 minute meeting limit on Thanksgiving day, from midnight ET on November 26 to 6am ET on November 27.
- Microsoft Teams now lets free personal account users create a video meeting on desktop with friends and family for “all day” video or audio calls. In the “coming months” you will be able to have a meeting with up to 300 participants for up to 24 hours. Invitees don’t even need a Teams account to join the video call. You can get started at teams.live.com.
Communication
- Phone calling in classic Hangouts will be going away soon. If you are in the US you can use Google Voice for phone calls and SMS on the web and across devices. If you are not in the US, or you do not want to use Google Voice, you can request a refund for your unused calling credits.
- RCS messaging - an “upgraded” version of SMS - is now available globally to anyone using Android Messages. And those communications will be getting a privacy boost with end-to-end encryption. E2EE is rolling out to beta testers for encrypted one-to-one messages and will be expanding to more users next year. If you want to be an early user, join the Messages Open Beta.
- Google Fi is getting new family features. You can block strangers from calling and texting your child, set data use limits, and made it easier to set up Family Link.
- Facebook Messenger Kids is testing a new design with easier navigation.
- Facebook Messenger has a new very cute BTS-inspired TinyTAN theme.
Social Media
- Twitter launched Fleets - their take on Stories - worldwide. You can share text, Tweets, photos, and videos with customized background and text, with stickers and live broadcasting available “soon”. The content is only available for 24 hours. Fleets are prominently displayed at the top of the Twitter mobile app, and very active at the moment (although most seem to be people giving them a try).
- Instagram is expanding Guides to everyone. You can use a Guide to recommend places in your city, recommend your favorite products, recommend posts you created or saved and more. To create a Guide, tap the + at the top of your profile page in the mobile Instagram app.
- The new integrated Instagram-Facebook Messenger messaging platform now offers “Watch Together”, where you can watch videos from Instagrams’s IGTV and Reels, plus original shows, movies and trending videos.
- Instagram is expanding Branded Content tags to Reels. This allows creators to indicate that their content is in “paid partnership” with a business. Reels are Instagram’s 15-second multi-clip videos, a la Tiktok. Last week the Reels tab gained a more prominent position on the Instagram home screen, so I think it’s fair to say this is a current focus on the platform.
- Facebook is offering access to Rights Manager to more Pages. That lets Pages help manage the use of their images and videos, and either request a takedown or monetize. As noted elsewhere, this may lead to considerably more content takedowns (and disputes) on Facebook and Instagram.
- Facebook’s NPE is offering a new experimental iOS app called E.gg. You can create “freeform canvases” with collages and images and share them on the web.
Productivity
- Soon Google will be offering new settings that let you choose whether your data in Gmail, Meet and Chat can be used to offer you “smart” features across Google products.
- Google is now offering Gmail, Drive and Fit iOS widgets, with Calendar and Chrome widgets coming soon.
- The latest version of Chrome (M87) is faster and uses less battery power. Plust it’s introducing tab search (for folks who keep a lot of tabs open), address bar actions, and cards on the new tab page that “help you pick up where you left off” with recipes and shopping.
- Starting in January 2021, you will see more information about Chrome extension data collection and privacy policies in the Chrome Web Store.
More
- Google Tour Builder now lets you migrate your tours to Google Earth before the shutdown of Tour Builder in July 2021. You can use Google Earth’s built-in content creation tools for “more robust storytelling features.” You can learn more by joining the online training for Tour Builder users on December 9th.
- You can now take a virtual tour of more than 100 cultural sites in Google Search.
- If you are a fan of “The Voice”, and you have a YouTube Music or Premium account, you can now listen to official playlists and new releases on your Nest speaker or other Google Assistant-enabled device.
That’s all the updates for this week. Subscribe to get the Weekly Update in your email inbox or favorite feed reader every week. Miss last week’s update? Get it here.
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