Tech Policy Highlights from February 2023 [Part 1]
The Current Scoreboard for Feb 2023 is: Apple 2, Microsoft 2, Animoca Brands 1, Bank of Israel 1, Google 1, Netflix 1, TikTok 1, Tinder 1, Twitch 1
This post is part one of a series documenting policy changes and feature improvements introduced by platforms in February 2023. These changes highlight how platform ecosystems are always in flux, and how platforms have to evolve to address the changing wants and needs of their users.
TL;DR → To attract new generation of users, Microsoft offers a low-cost online Office Suite and cloud storage, Netflix experiments with a cheaper plan with ads in select countries, Animoca Brands expands to Japan to sell NFTs based on Japanese intellectual property and Israel further opens up its market to foreign payment service providers.
To accommodate changes in existing users' preferences, Apple changed its website to a dark theme post-earthquake, TikTok allows brands and other creators to advertise creators' content, Tinder introduces Incognito mode to give users more control over who can see their profiles, iOS allows web apps to send notifications, Microsoft Bing allows users have longer conversations with Bing AI Chat, YouTube's Dub feature lets creators add multiple audio tracks to videos for multi-language support and Twitch allows users to check if they are part of experiments.
Table of Content
Microsoft’s low-cost online Office Suite for the next-gen users
Netflix introduces a cheaper plan with ads in certain countries
Animoca Brands taps Japan’s Intellectual Property cache with NFTs
Israel allows foreign payment service providers in the country
Apple turns its website dark in Turkey post the earthquake
TikTok lets brands and creators pay to promote each other’s content
Tinder tests Incognito mode to let users hide their profile
Apple allows push notifications from web apps on iOS
Microsoft Bing relaxes conversation limits for Bing AI Chat
YouTube’s Dub feature lets creators translate videos with voiceovers
Twitch users can check if they are a part of experiments
Policy changes introduced to accommodate the demand of a new generation of users on that platform
Microsoft’s low-cost online Office Suite for the next-gen users
Microsoft aims to attract consumers who don’t need or can’t use desktop versions of Word, Excel and PowerPoint (such as cloud natives, Chromebook owners) with their Microsoft 365 Basic subscription plan. For less than $20 a year, consumers can access online “Office Suite” and 100 GB of cloud storage. This seems like Microsoft’s way to secure the loyalty of the next generation of users against Google’s Chromebook strategy or Apple’s Educational strategy for low-cost iPads. It remains unclear whether they will combine this with their low-cost Surface devices to make it a formidable alternative (link).
Netflix introduces a cheaper plan with ads in certain countries
Netflix’s “Basic with Ads” costs around 3$ to 6$ a month and includes commercials before and during most TV shows and movies. The plan has limits on content and downloads, and will be available in some Middle Eastern, Eastern European, and Asian countries. The new plan is aimed at consumers who value Netflix at a lower price and don’t mind seeing ads. This plan is a significant change in Netflix’s strategy, which always focused on being ad-free to enhance user experience. It also reflects the increasing competition and challenges from rivals like Disney+, and inexpensive IPTV services (link).
Animoca Brands taps Japan’s Intellectual Property cache with NFTs
Animoca Brands, a Hong Kong based company that creates and sells non-fungible tokens (NFTs) based on blockchain technology, has launched a subsidiary in Japan to collaborate with Japanese intellectual property (IP) holders and expand their fan communities globally. The subsidiary, Animoca Brands Japan, will work with IP owners in Japan such as Kodansha, a publisher of manga and novels. The expansion reflects a bet on the ability of NFTs to create new revenue streams and fan engagement opportunities in the entertainment industry (link).
Israel allows foreign payment service providers in the country
The new regulation issued by the Bank of Israel allows foreign payment service providers to offer their services without having to establish a local subsidiary or branch. The regulation aims to increase competition, innovation, and efficiency in the payment services market and to lower costs for consumers and businesses. The regulation is part of the Bank of Israel’s efforts to promote the development of the fintech sector and to align with international standards and best practices, something that the new generation of bank consumers would prefer (link).
Platform policy changes have been announced to accommodate changes in existing users' preferences.
Apple turns its website dark in Turkey post the earthquake
Apple’s website change shows its solidarity and sympathy with the people of Turkey who have been affected by the devastating earthquakes that struck the country on Monday. Apple has also confirmed that it will donate $1 million to relief and recovery efforts in Turkey and Syria. The website change and the donation are signs of Apple’s corporate social responsibility towards the people suffering from the natural calamities globally (link).
TikTok lets brands and creators pay to promote each other’s content
TikTok’s new “Promote for Others” feature allows brands to pay to advertise creators’ content on the app. The feature, available for creators who are 18 years or older and with least 1,000 followers, also allows them to promote other creators, just like ads. Promote for Others is part of TikTok’s efforts to support and monetize its creator community, which has grown rapidly and produced viral content on the platform. This policy change also seems like an innovative response to YouTube Shorts’ changes in monetization for creators (link)
Tinder tests Incognito mode to let users hide their profile
The Incognito Mode also applies on those users who you don’t want to be matched with and is designed to give users more control over who can see them on the dating app. Incognito mode is currently available for Tinder Plus and Tinder Gold subscribers in select markets, including Australia, Canada and India, and is expected to roll out globally soon. The feature is part of Tinder’s efforts to improve the user experience and safety on the app, which has faced criticism for enabling harassment, discrimination, and abuse and not doing “enough” to make online dating safer (link).
Apple allows push notifications from web apps on iOS
iOS has long allowed websites to be pinned to the home screen but until now, those sites weren’t able to send users notifications or use notification badges. With iOS 16.4, web apps will be able to request users’ permission to send notifications. The update narrows the gap between native apps and web apps, potentially making it easier for developers to forgo Apple’s App Store and its 30% cut on in-app purchases (link).
Microsoft Bing relaxes conversation limits for Bing AI Chat
The limits included restricting the chatbot to certain topics, limiting the number of messages per conversation, and disabling the chatbot after a certain time. The change could help users have longer and more diverse conversations with the chatbot and could help Microsoft collect more data to enhance its conversational AI technology to compete with other chatbot platforms. For instance, longer conversation also enables users to refine their queries, helping Bing learn the real intent of a query (link).
YouTube introduces Dub feature to break language barriers for videos
YouTube’s multi-language feature will allow channels or creators to add multiple audio tracks to their videos, allowing users to choose between different languages when listening to the video. By reducing language barriers, the Dub feature could help creators reach a wider audience and make YouTube more competitive in global markets (link).
Twitch users can check if they are a part of experiments
Users will now be able to see if Twitch is running any experiments on their interface. As the Verge reports, Twitch admits there’ll be limits to the transparency — ‘‘not all’ of the experiments will be listed on the page, especially those where they intend to gather unbiased data and insights that reflect how members of the community use a tool or feature they’re testing. The page, available for anyone visiting twitch.tv/support, is part of Twitch’s efforts to improve transparency and engagement on the platform, as well as to involve the community in the development process (link).
Research help from Anantesh Mohapatra, Melvin Jabamani, Yiran Liu (Thanks a ton, folks!)
Part 2 to follow in a week’s time. Please spread the word if you think someone in your circle likes these type of posts :)
Cheers,