Most smartphone users do not bother to change their camera settings when they need to take the best possible picture. All we do is, go to the camera app and just take the picture. With the use of Real Tone, any user’s skin tone can be more realistically reproduced, regardless of…
Author: Smart Megwai
Smart Megwai
Smart is a technology journalist covering innovation, digital culture, and the business of emerging tech. His reporting for Innovation Village explores how technology shapes everyday life in Africa and beyond.
DuckDuckGo, which calls itself an “internet privacy company” and has built its brand around the idea that it doesn’t track web searches and recently released a “private” browser with built-in tracker blocking, is in “deep shit” after a privacy and data supply chain expert, Zach Edwards, found hidden limits on its…
Central African Republic (CAR) is set to launch a cryptocurrency investment hub, extending the country’s embrace of digital finance. The project, which the country tagged “Project Sango” is Africa’s first-ever crypto initiative, and “will,” according to a white paper published by the CAR government, “enable people to transact using Bitcoin and…
Twitter has announced an upgrade on its media page, from “Twitter Media” to “Twitter Create”. The company made the announcement in a blog post to express its new goal, which is a shift in its focus toward the creator economy. The blog post noted that “the time felt right to…
AfriLabs, a network of technology innovation hubs across Africa, has successfully launched an academy to provide startup ecosystem enablers with the necessary skills and knowledge to support African businesses. The event took place in a virtual ceremony on the 18th of May 2022, with major stakeholders and key players in the African Innovation…
YouTube has announced a new update on its Comments Panel on Desktop. The announcement was made in a video on the platform’s Creator Insider channel. Currently, YouTube’s comments displays below a video on the watch page for desktop users. It’s different for mobile and tablets users, as the comments are shown in…
Google and the University of Oregon are collaborating on a study on digital wellbeing that examines the mental health effects of smartphones. The researchers are making use of an app called Google Health Studies to investigate the ways in which people interact with their gadgets and the health implications of doing…
TikTok has launched a new offering, a subscription service, that will allow users to directly support their favourite live streamers. The Video-sharing service calls this Live Subscription, and notes that it grants fans access to perks such as a subscriber-only chat, creator-specific emotes, and badges that distinguish them from non-subscribers. The new…
Google today announced that the Street View feature of Google Maps will receive a number of updates to commemorate the 15th anniversary of the service. The first is that its iOS and Android apps are getting a new feature that will let you look at old Street View images on…
The simple act of sending plain texts while chatting on the Whatsapp platform, Facebook Messenger, Snapchat, Telegram, or using the Direct Messaging features of Twitter, Instagram, or TikTok, is no longer sufficient. Users enjoy sharing GIFs, emojis, or stickers to communicate their feelings or replies in order to add some fun to the chatting experience. Even though platforms like…
From October 2022, WABetaInfo claims that WhatsApp will no longer support iOS 10 and iOS 11, as well as two iPhones: 5C and 5C. Users of iOS 10 and iOS 11 are reportedly receiving the following notice on their iPhones: “Update to the latest version of iOS to continue using…
TikTok has added a new feature on its video-sharing app that allows users to play games. Sources told Reuters on May 19th confirming that some individuals in Vietnam have already started testing this, due to the country’s high concentration of younger smartphone owners. No doubt, TikTok’s new move is to…
SWIFT, in partnership with French IT company, Capgemini, is conducting new experiments to test how it can interlink domestic cross-border central bank digital currency (CBDC) payments and take the next step toward seamless cross-border payments involving digital currencies. The company made the announcement in a press release, noting that “nine…
Meta has introduced a Cloud API to its WhatsApp Business platform. According to Meta’s blog for developers, the API will allow businesses and developers to build on top of WhatsApp to customise their experiences and respond to customers quickly and easily. Whatsapp Cloud API has been in beta testing since November…
YouTube is introducing a new feature that will help users identify the most popular portions of a video they are currently watching, as well as making other changes to its video player. The company says it’s adding a graph that will make it easy for people to find and watch…
According to NetCraft, there are now over one billion active sites on the internet. While this is great for the IT industry, it makes it more difficult for startups, who are newcomers, to gain visibility in the already crowded internet environment. If you want people to come to your site,…
Ventures Platform, an early-stage “discovery” venture capital fund championing the next generation of African entrepreneurs, has appointed Dotun Olowoporoku as a new venture partner. The pan-African venture capital company wants to enhance venture capital’s standing as a dependable funding partner for Africa’s startups. This new appointment comes a little less than six months after it completed…
“Google for Startups” is now accepting applications for the Black Founders Fund for Africa’s second cohort. This time, 60 “investable” black-founded startups in Africa will receive funding, and Google notes they must be “founded by black-led or diverse teams or who are directly benefiting the black community.” Head of Startup…
Several Nigerian payment industry professionals and stakeholders have called for a joint effort to fight the increasing threat of digital fraud. Cyber fraud has grown in sophistication and reach, making safeguarding payments and avoiding fraud a critical responsibility. The panellists at Businessday Media’s ‘Future of Payment and Fraud Conference 2022,’…
In sub-Saharan Africa, 90% of retail is informal, highly inefficient and characterised by layers of intermediaries. Twiga, an B2B e-commerce platform, simplifies the supply chain between fresh food producers, FMCG manufacturers, and retailers. This removes the need for many intermediaries, significantly lowering the cost of food for consumers. The Kenyan…