Social Media Weekly News Roundup 25.09.20
Hey SocialDayers!
If you’re anything like us, you’ll have spent this week catching up on the fantastic SocialDay sessions which are now over on the SocialDay Club app! This week’s SocialDay recap is a guide to all of the top tips from SocialDay’s creator and influencer marketing sessions - you can check out here.
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In the meantime, here’s your recap of the biggest news in social media this week...
iOS 14 breaks the internet
It’s safe to say that Apple’s new software update iOS 14 broke the internet. The software was made available for iPhone users to download last week and includes new features such as a new app library, pinned conversations, a new ‘widget-focused’ design to the home screen, and much more. Here’s some of this week’s top iOS 14-related news:
Pinterest breaks daily download record as users search for iOS 14 design ideas
On Tuesday, TechCrunch reported that Pinterest had broken the record for the most daily downloads ever on September 20th. The app is now number 1 in the App Store’s top free lifestyle apps chart and sits at number 15 on the top free apps chart (as of September 25th). The surge in downloads of Pinterest has been attributed to users looking for unique ways to customise their iPhone home screens as they install Apple’s software update. In the wake of its success, Pinterest has also announced that it will be introducing some new features of its own, including new story pins, creator profiles, and an updated analytics hub.
TikTok goes crazy for iOS 14 widget designs
Customising your iPhone home screen using iOS 14’s new widget design possibilities has now become a huge trend on TikTok. The top 20 dedicated home screen customisation apps also hit 5.7 million downloads in the first four days of iOS 14’s release, and smaller creators and businesses have begun charging for their iOS design packages through sites such as Etsy.
The internet is shook by iPhone’s new little orange dot
Users confused by their iPhones’ new little orange dot, which appears in the top right corner of the screen, took to the internet this week to speculate its meaning. The orange dot is actually a new feature of Apple’s latest iOS update which lets users know when their microphone is being used. Similarly, a green dot appears when an iPhone user’s camera is being accessed. This new coding improves the transparency for users, who until now may have been unaware if apps were accessing their microphones and cameras.
TikTok confirms new deal with US companies Oracle and Walmart
US President Donald Trump has announced that he is supporting TikTok’s new deal with US giants Oracle and Walmart. This follows weeks of back and forth between the US administration and Chinese-owned social media platform TikTok over security concerns and who was to control TikTok’s US operations. TikTok’s owner ByteDance will, however, retain an 80% stake in the company, with the remaining stake being held by its ‘trusted technology partner’ Oracle (12.5%) and ‘commercial partner’ Walmart (7.5%).
Google launches new work-tracking tool Tables
Google has launched a new work-tracking tool for teams using their platform. ‘Tables’ is a tool which helps teams track projects and automate previously manual tasks to improve time management and team collaboration. To get started with Tables, users can import data from Google Sheets or CSV files, share data with Google Groups, and assign tasks to users in their Google Contacts.
Amazon announces its own game-streaming platform Luna
Amazon has announced that it will be launching its own live-stream gaming platform called ‘Luna’. Luna is set to launch with more than 50 games in its app and will be available across PC, Mac and iOS devices. The announcement puts Amazon in the race alongside Microsoft and Google to create a new platform which defines the live-stream gaming industry.
Spotify launches new interactive podcast polls
Music-streaming platform Spotify is introducing real-time polls to its podcasts. Similarly to Instagram’s popular polls feature, Spotify’s podcast polls will be anonymous to participants, however users will be able to see the ongoing poll results when they vote. To begin with, polls will be available on podcasts which are exclusive to Spotify, however this may change as demand grows.
Google Maps gets Covid-19 layer
On Wednesday, Google announced that it will be bringing a Covid-19 layer to Google Maps to help improve understanding and awareness of the virus in particular areas. The map layer will be colour-coded based on the number of cases per 100,000 people and include icons to show whether the number of cases is increasing or decreasing in a given area.
Facebook announces the largest voting information campaign in US history
Social media giant Facebook is launching a new, week-long campaign to encourage US voters to register on the run up to the US presidential election. The goal of the campaign is to help 4 million people register and empower every eligible voter to ‘make their voice heard’. Alongside the campaign, Facebook is running a new #PledgeToVoteChallenge on their app to improve engagement and awareness between users.