Sony caves: PlayStation cross-play is coming, starting with Fortnite

• Sony will finally allow PlayStation cross-play with a beta feature rolling out now within Fortnite.
• This means that if you have a PlayStation Now account connected to Fortnite, you can use that same account on Android.
• This is a huge shift for Sony, as the company has fought cross-play with major consoles for years.

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It appears that Hell hath frozen over, as Sony announced today on the PlayStation blog that it is rolling out a PlayStation cross-play beta. The first game that will allow for competitive play regardless of the systems players are using will be Fortnite.

According to Sony, today’s update “will allow for cross-platform gameplay, progression, and commerce across PlayStation 4, Android, iOS, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, Microsoft Windows, and Mac operating systems.” This likely means that if you start playing Fortnite on the PlayStation Network and then decide to play using the same account on Android, you can do that now, and your in-app purchases and stats should transfer along with you.

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While it’s pretty obvious that the popularity of Fortnite and the support of cross-play on pretty much every system aside from the PlayStation 4 is what brought about this change, it appears that Fortnite won’t be the end. According to the blog post, Sony intends to bring PlayStation cross-play to other games:

For 24 years, we have strived to deliver the best gaming experience to our fans by providing a uniquely PlayStation perspective. Today, the communities around some games have evolved to the point where cross-platform experiences add significant value to players. In recognition of this, we have completed a thorough analysis of the business mechanics required to ensure that the PlayStation experience for our users remains intact today, and in the future, as we look to open up the platform…We will update the community once we have more details to share, including more specifics regarding the beta timeframe, and what this means for other titles going forward.

For years now, pretty much every major console has allowed universal cross-play for at least some of its games, with Sony being the only holdout. This update today represents a seismic shift in gaming at large, as it will now be very difficult for any gaming platform to not support cross-play.

What other games are you looking forward to getting cross-play features? Sound off in the comments!

NEXT: Fortnite Mobile on Android: Here are the compatible phones

Source: Android Zone

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Apex Launcher users can now upgrade to the Pro version for free

• Apex Launcher is offering users a free upgrade to the Pro version.
• This appears to be a limited time offer and is only a local upgrade for the free app.

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We think that Apex Launcher is one of the best Android launcher apps out there here at Android Authority. We know a lot of you love it too, but for those that haven’t given the long-serving launcher a go you can now jump from the vanilla Apex Launcher to the Pro version completely free!

For a limited time (although we don’t know how long exactly), anyone who downloads the regular version of Apex Launcher from the Google Play Store can now access all the extra premium goodies like icon gestures, enhanced folder support, advanced widget options, and other customization features without having to pay the usual $3.99 fee.

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All you need to do is install the app, open the app settings either via the Apex Settings icon or by long pressing on the homescreen, tap on the Pro Free badge and then restart the launcher (thanks, AppSales).

There is one small caveat, however. As you’re not purchasing the main Apex Launcher Pro app from the Play Store, the free version is essentially acting as a local license key. That means the Pro version you’ll have is only unlocked locally, so if you switch to a new phone or reset your current device you’ll lose all the Pro features.

Regardless, this is a great way to try out Apex Launcher’s advanced feature set for free without any downside. If you do change phones and miss the extra options, you can always upgrade then and you won’t have lost a cent.

Hit the button below to download Apex Launcher today and let us know your thoughts on the launcher in the comments.

Download Apex Launcher

Source: Android Zone

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Unpacking Google’s role in Android One — Is this the new Nexus line?

Google might start bribing you to get your friends to use Google Duo

• A teardown of the latest Duo APK points to some sort of Google Duo rewards program.
• It seems that Google is going to issue monetary rewards to people who get their friends to use Duo.
• Given the popularity of Duo’s competition, a financial reward may be the only way Google can get Duo more users.

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Did you know that Google has a video chat app called Google Duo? It’s like Facetime, Skype, or WhatsApp, but with a significantly smaller user base.

It looks like Google is going to try to change that with a new rewards program that will incentivize users to get their friends to use Duo in place of whichever video chat app they currently use.

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While the details of the program aren’t yet known, a teardown of the most recent Duo APK (via Android Police) clearly reveals code strings that point to some sort of rewards program. How it will work and what those rewards will be is anyone’s guess at the moment, but the code makes it clear that a system is in place:

<string name="rewards_invite_friends_hint_data">Free %s when friends join</string>
<string name="rewards_invitor_redeem_header">Congrats! You earned %s</string>
<string name="rewards_invitor_redeem_body_text_cash">As a thank you for bringing %1$s to Duo, you get %2$s! Tap “%3$s” to redeem.</string>
<string name="rewards_redeem_button">NEXT</string>

In the code strings, there are three alerts that will likely pop-up for users:

• Free _____ when friends join
• Congrats! You earned _____
• As a thank you for bringing _____ to Duo, you get _____! Tap _____ to redeem.

Those blanks could be anything from cash rewards to credit on the Google Play Store to gift card points.

Keep in mind that code gets added to APKs and then taken away all the time, so this alleged rewards program could amount to nothing. However, it makes perfect sense for Google to institute something along these lines as Duo’s competition is Facetime, Skype, WhatsApp, and Facebook Messenger, all of which are behemoths in the messaging sphere. If Google is going to compete with Duo, it’s going to have to do some serious pushing.

In related news, the APK teardown of Duo also revealed a new “Pause” button. This is likely going to be a way for you to temporarily turn-off your own video feed during a call, similar to the current mute button for audio. It’s not clear if the pause button will turn off both video and sound, or if you’ll have to hit both the pause and mute button to achieve that.

If you don’t already have Duo pre-installed on your phone, you can download the latest version here:

Install Google Duo for Android

Source: Android Zone

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Amazon Prime subscription to jump from $99 a year to $119

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It felt like just the other day that Amazon Prime jumped from $79 a year to $99. That price hike actually took place in 2014, so Amazon has seen it fit to raise prices again.

The $20 price hike to $119 was announced by the company during an earnings call (and spotted by CNN Money). The increase in yearly subscription costs comes a few months after the online retailer hiked the monthly subscription rate (from $10.99 to $12.99).

The Amazon Prime price increase will take effect from May 11 for new users, while those wanting to renew their existing subscriptions will get a price hike from June 16. In any event, the cost of a monthly subscription over a year is still more expensive than the new yearly price. But this is to be expected, as services frequently give discounts for longer subscription periods.

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The Amazon Prime price increase also comes a week after CEO Jeff Bezos reported that Amazon Prime has crossed the 100 million member mark. Clearly, people are finding a lot to like about the product, but is it worth getting? Well, it really depends on a few factors, as we previously outlined.

I wouldn’t blame long-time subscribers for being annoyed though, having seen a $40 annual jump in yearly fees. That money for original Prime Video programming has to come from somewhere, I guess. Then again, if you only care for Prime Video (or if you live in a far-flung country), it’s slightly cheaper to grab the $8.99 a month option instead.

Source: Android Zone

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