Tech

What’s happening with Google Play Store for Pakistani users?

Published

1 year ago

Farwa

SBP suspends payment of $34m to int’l service providers.
Users will have to download Google, int’l apps through credit cards, debit cards.
Authorities concerned request central bank to reverse its decision.

ISLAMABAD: The State Bank of Pakistan has suspended a payment of $34 million to international service providers after which mobile users will not be able to download Google Play Store services from December 01, 2022, The News reported Saturday.

The direct carrier billing (DCB) mechanism was discontinued by the central bank after which a payment of $34 million on an annual basis through mobile companies to international service providers, including Google, Amazon and Meta, got stuck.

Pakistani customers will now be forced to download Google and other international apps for making payments through credit cards or debit cards only. But the credit card facility is limited to a certain number of customers, so the majority of mobile users may be deprived of downloading apps from Google Play Store.

The Ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunication, Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) and four cellular mobile operators (CMOs) unanimously wrote a joint letter to the SBP on Friday, making a request to reverse its decision of revoking the DCB mechanism for payment of dollar fee keeping in view the liquidity crunch being faced by the country.

Top official sources confirmed to The News that Google services such as downloading apps will be unavailable. They conveyed to relevant authorities that the outstanding payment of $34 million was due, so their services for downloading of Google App Store will no more be available if the outstanding amount was not cleared.

The four mobile operators sent a joint letter to the government, stating that the telecom industry is one of the biggest contributors to foreign direct investment along with other significant contributions in the form of tax, duties and other levies.

The role of the telecom sector in expanding the agenda of Digital Pakistan cannot be ignored. Pakistan’s digital transformation is intended to benefit all social and economic sectors and thus needs engagement and facilitation from all stakeholders.

The State Bank of Pakistan revoked the IT designation of telecom operators months back. It was further advised to route cases to SBP on a case-to-case basis for subsequent approval. Consequently, the mobile operators stated that they were facing severe delays in getting approvals, resulting in disruption of critical services as they support the company in managing IT and digital infrastructure to meet all operational requirements internally and servicing its customers billing management, fraud management software, Office 365, robotics automation software and software developers as well as payments related to digital advertising on big IT platforms.

The digital economy in Pakistan has a heavy reliance on international service providers for hosting on cloud platforms, licenses required for services/platforms, security features and in many cases technical expertise to upskill the local workforce to meet international standards.

All the major players like Google, Amazon and Meta, are being impacted because of non-payment and are most likely to discontinue their services the impact of which will be reflected in terms of telecom and internet users being unable to fulfil their needs from digital platforms including digital banking, e-Commerce, e-Education, e-Health that uses cloud infrastructure and gets licenses for both applications as well as web-based platforms that are being badly impacted.

Distribution and monetisation of digital platforms will become extremely challenging considering the lack of distribution support and interest from the market leaders like Google, Amazon, and Apple representing Facebook. Digital marketing is the most effective channel for all brands, products and services will shrink drastically or become unavailable, thus, impacting brands, services and products beyond the digital space.

“Any potential outage of such digital services due to non-payments would create a lot of negativity in the world about Pakistan in this age of social media and should be avoided at any cost,” stated the letter.

The letter concluded: “It is pertinent to mention here that we all understand the prevailing challenge of worsening economic conditions of the country and thus are open to working in an amicable way with the Regulator (SBP); as we are already working with them in case of the telecom sector imports related transactions to navigate through these testing times.”

Tech

Elon Musk lands in Tel Aviv to meet Israeli president, families of hostages

Published

5 days ago

Farwa

Tech entrepreneur Elon Musk has begun his wartime visit to Israel as he landed in Tel Aviv on Monday to discuss “rising antisemitism” on social media with Israeli President Isaac Herzog.

During his visit to Tel Aviv, the tech billionaire will also meet the relatives of the hostages held by Hamas following their October 7 attack.

“In their meeting, the president will emphasise the need to act to combat rising antisemitism online,” said President Herzog’s office on Sunday after announcing the meeting with Musk.

His meeting comes after the tech guru was accused by civil rights groups of amplifying anti-Jewish hatred on the microblogging website X, formerly known as Twitter.

The tweet accused Jews of promoting hatred against whites, and Musk’s reply, acknowledging the statement as the “actual truth,” triggered a fierce online backlash.

Musk, later defending himself against accusations of anti-semitism, asserted that such claims were “nothing could be further from the truth.” He clarified his intentions, expressing goodwill towards humanity and a desire for a prosperous future for all.

In an effort to counterbalance the controversy, Musk announced his commitment to donating advertising revenue from his company, X, to hospitals in Israel and Gaza.

Last week, Israeli media reported that Musk would visit Israel this week, with plans to tour Gaza border towns.

According to N12, the Tesla magnate was expected to engage in discussions with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Herzog during his visit.

Additionally, Musk had previously pledged to provide internet satellite connectivity to Gaza’s remaining civilians and humanitarian workers.

Tech

Here’s how WhatsApp plans to enhance display of profile info

Published

5 days ago

Farwa

To further enhance user experience, WhatsApp is working on a new update to further enhance the display of profile information by acting on the user feedback and incorporating desired updates into the platform.

The development was discovered via the latest WhatsApp beta for Android 2.23.25.11 update available on the Google Play Store, reported WaBetaInfo.

The meta-owned platform is working to allow the displaying of profile information within conversations beneath the contact name.

Once introduced, the feature will provide users with an easier and faster way to interact with profile information when it is made visible in our conversations.

Users would be able to easily view the profile information within the chat rather than having to navigate to the chat info screen.

Furthermore, this enhances visibility in the event that users have recently updated their profile information, guaranteeing that those involved in the conversation are promptly informed of any modifications.

It is significant to remember that the user’s privacy settings will only permit the display of this information.

Tech

OpenAI’s ChatGPT offers human-like voice feature for all regular iOS, Android users

Published

1 week ago

Farwa

OpenAI has rolled out a significant update for ChatGPT, enabling regular users on both iOS and Android devices to engage with the chatbot using a human-like voice.

Initially introduced in September, the voice feature was exclusively available to Plus and Enterprise users until yesterday. This expansion signifies a milestone in ChatGPT’s accessibility, allowing a broader audience to experience conversational capabilities in voice mode.

ChatGPT with voice is now available to all free users. Download the app on your phone and tap the headphones icon to start a conversation.

Sound on 🔊 pic.twitter.com/c5sCFDAWU6
— OpenAI (@OpenAI) November 21, 2023

To activate the voice feature, users will find a headphone icon at the bottom right of the screen upon opening ChatGPT. Clicking on it prompts users to choose from five distinct voice options: Juniper, Ember, Breeze, Cove, and Sky, representing a spectrum from feminine to masculine. Users can easily switch between these options later.

The interaction with the voice assistant is visually engaging, with a grey circle appearing in the centre, transforming into a white cloud-like image while the chatbot processes information.

The voice assistant, exemplified by options like Sky with a raspy voice, introduces a more human-like element, including pauses during responses, fostering a conversational experience.

Despite the innovative leap, some users noted that the voice function occasionally prompted assistance queries even when the user remained silent, and there was a lack of a clear mechanism to turn off the application.

However, the flexibility to exit the app while keeping it active in the background enhances multitasking possibilities, catering to scenarios where users may want information while engaged in other activities.

This move towards a voice-centric interaction marks a departure from traditional text-based chatting, offering a more natural and engaging conversational AI experience.

OpenAI’s decision to make this feature available to a wider user base underscores the evolution of ChatGPT, positioning it as a versatile and accessible tool for diverse interactions.