The best smart switches and smart plugs can make a huge difference to your smart home. They can control appliances, allow you to set schedules, keep your home safe and, importantly, save on energy consumption. 

Sure they may not be the most exciting smart home device you can buy. We know grabbing one of the top smart speakers, setting up a smart and colorful lighting system or a robot vacuum might seem more useful and appealing. But all of these will work even better if your home is kitted out with at least one or two smart plugs or smart switches.

So, where do you get started with smart plugs? With most smart home products these days, there are a lot of choices available. This means it can be tricky to figure which are worth flipping out over.

With that in mind, we've gathered up a guide to show you the light to the best smart plugs and switches on the market right now.

UPDATE: At CES 2020 earlier this year, plenty of smart plugs were on display. Two of the most useful new devices we spotted were from Wemo, including the Wemo Wifi Smart Plug, which automates anything you plug into it without a hub and with voice support. As well as the Wemo Stage, which plugs into your wall and works as a remote control that triggers different scenes, like holiday lighting or a movie scene. Both will be out in summer, so keep an eye out! 

Best smart plugs and switches overview: 

• Elgato Eve Energy Smart Switch
• Hive Active Plug
• Belkin WeMo Insight Smart Plug
• TP-Link HS200 Smart Wi-Fi Light Switch (US only)
• Ikea Tradfri Smart Plug

It's all about ease with the Elagto Eve Energy Smart Switch. Installing and updating the switch is a snap; all you have to do is plug it into an existing outlet, then plug your appliance in.

The switch is compatible with Apple HomeKit, and, uniquely, it connects over Bluetooth, not your home's Wi-Fi. Despite this unconventional (in the smart plug/switch space) connection method, Bluetooth works perfectly well here.

Like most smart plugs and switches, Elgato's design is on the bigger side, though you can still access the top switch if you plug it into the bottom one. The app is easy to use as well and keeps tabs on your energy consumption, plus estimated cost of the energy your appliance is sucking up.

This isn't the most enthralling - or least expensive - smart switch on the market. However, it hits a number of the right boxes, and looks good in the home. 

Read our full review: Elgato Eve Energy Smart Switch

Hive began as a manufacturer of smart thermostats, but has grown into one of the biggest names in smart home devices of all kinds, including lights, cameras, locks and plugs. It's one of the most affordable ecosystems to get into - cheaper than Philips Hue, if you're interested in trying smart lighting.

The Hive Active plug requires either a Hive Active Heating thermostat or Hive Hub, but once you have that, it's simple to set up and use. You can create a schedule (with up to six time slots per day), trigger the plug using the Hive app on your phone, or link it to a Hive switch or sensor. 

Not only is it one of the cheapest smart plugs around, the Hive Active Plug is also relatively small, making it one of the most discreet (if not stylish) options available.

Review coming soon

The Belkin WeMo Insight is a neat little device. Well, it's not exactly "little" considering it's bigger than it looks in the pictures, so be prepared for a bulkier plug that covers the top outlet if you place it on the bottom one (the same isn't true if you reverse the order).

That said, we consider the Belkin WeMo Insight Smart Plug to be the best light switch on the market. We like that it gives insights into your energy usage, and it gives you estimates on how much you're spending on energy, too. This is great if you're looking to cut down on your monthly power bill and be a little greener at the same time. 

The one big drawback is that you do most of your work with the WeMo Insight in the app, and the app leaves a lot to be desired. Yes, you can turn off and on devices from the app home screen, but once you start going deeper, you run into trouble. It's difficult to remove devices from the app, which is annoying. 

One redeeming quality of the app is that you can use it to integrate your plug with other services, such as IFTTT, Alexa, Google Assistant, Works with Nest and (unofficially) Samsung SmartThings. 

The only one missing from this smart plug house party is Apple's HomeKit, though you can connect using a HomeKit Bridge, which Belkin sells. For more flexibility, check out the Belkin WeMo Dimmer Light switch.

Read our full review: Belkin WeMo Insight Smart Plug

Sure, you've decked out your home in smart LED bulbs, like the Philips Hue, but if these aren't connected to a smart switch, you lose connectivity if the lights aren't controlled with a smartphone. 

That's where smart switches like the TP-Link HS200 come in. This well-designed switch may be connected, but it also gives a satisfying click, just like old-fashioned models. 

But the similarities with old-school switches end there. This switch taps into an app called Kasa, which is equally well-designed. From the app, you can create different scenes that turn on or off certain lights, or set lights to turn on when your home's motions sensors detect movement, for example. 

The switch does work with Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant, so you can ask both to flight the TP-Link switches in your home on or off. 

It may not be quite as good as the Belkin WeMo Smart Plug, but the TP-Link will make your home a more connected creature, which is great if you're looking to take your home into the 21st century. 

Unfortunately this switch is currently only available in the US.

Read our full review: TP-Link HS200 Smart Wi-Fi Light Switch

If you're looking for a cheap and simple smart plug, then head to your local Ikea to check out the brand's TRÅDFRI range of smart home products, which has this minimal but reliable smart plug on offer. 

You can control it via an app, operate it manually or programme it to work on a schedule. It has HomeKit support, so it's a solid option if you already have a few smart devices hooked up to the Apple ecosystem.

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One area of smart home technology that's becoming more and more popular is smart security, including smart video doorbells, smart cameras and smart locks. 

Over the past few years, smart locks have come a long way in both technology and design. The best smart locks on the market are not only super effective, but they also look like designer furnishings that lend a touch of style to your front door.

From August to Kwikset to Yale, there are a wide variety of smart lock input methods and designs, including touchscreens that do away with the keyway entirely and those that you wouldn't even know are smart locks from the outside. The key here is to find which smart lock works well for you, your door, and your home. 

We've put together this guide to the best smart locks on the market in 2020. But, unlike these products, you don't need a special code to access our expert advice about which lock is right for you. 

The Nest x Yale lock integrates with your Nest smart home products, so this device extends well beyond your front door. It's an all-round excellent smart lock, though mainly if your home is decked out in other Nest devices.

Setup is often a sticking point when it comes to smart locks, but the Nest x Yale lock is easy to install and connect to your internet (if you spring for Nest Connect, that is). The lock features a keypad on the outside, so you punch in a code to enter your house, rather than insert a key. This is great if you keys are shoved way down in your pockets or purse.

One neat feature is one-touch locking, which allows you to lock your door just by pressing the Yale logo. To unlock with the same method, you press the logo again, then follow a few more steps before your door is opened to you. There's also the option to have the Nest x Yale lock at a pre-set time, especially helpful if you often forget to lock your door at night. 

The Next x Yale lock is available in Satin Nickel, Oil Rubbed Bronze and Polished Brass, so no matter what your style is, you should find something that fits.

Read the full review: Nest x Yale Smart Lock

The Schalge Sense is another easy to install and use smart lock, though its size runs a bit on the bulky side. 

You can lock and unlock your doors straight from the app, or by entering codes on the keypad. There's a deadbolt on the inside portion of the lock for when you want to lock the door from inside your home.

Using the app, you can create and delete codes, convenient if you want to generate codes for house guests. However, to use this feature, you will need to do so over Wi-Fi or via the lock's built-in Bluetooth. In our own testing, we used the app to lock our front door at night, after we'd already gotten into bed and under the covers. 

The app leaves something to be desired, and you'll need patience to deal with dropped connections from time to time. 

The Schlage Sense works with Apple's HomeKit, so you can control your lock using devices like an Apple TV, iPad or HomePod speaker through the HomeKit app. 

The lock also supports Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa, allowing you to use just your voice to unlock and lock the device.

Read the full review: Schlage Sense Smart Lock

The August Smart Lock Pro is one of the best looking smart locks on the market, though from the outside, you would never know it's there. 

That's because your deadbolt looks exactly the same on the exterior (in fact, it's the same one you've always had), while the August Smart Lock Pro puck sits on the inside. This makes for a discreet lock that still lets you use your existing keys, if you so choose.

Using the August app, you can see whether your door is closed and locked. If you've left the house and are approaching it again, the device will automatically unlock when you're 20-30 feet from your door, granting you easy, keyless access. 

Conversely, the lock will automatically bolt into place if you leave the house in a rush, and you can check that your door is secure using your smartphone. 

You can also send keyless codes to visitors or anyone who is dropping by your home on a regular basis, and track who is coming in and out of your door. Finally, you can control the August Smart Lock Pro with the voice assistant of your choice: Siri, Alexa or Google Assistant. 

You will need a Wi-Fi bridge in order to unlock the full potential of the August Smart Lock Pro, and a device called the Connect is included when you purchase the lock. 

Read the full review: August Smart Lock Pro

The Kwikset Obsidian is a great-looking smart lock. It hugs tight against the door for a low profile, and has a glassy sheen that adds a touch of elegance to any door. It's completely keyless, with only a touchscreen for entering access codes. You can create up to 16 logins for family and friends. 

The lock also includes a patented Kwikset safety feature called SecureScreen that basically prevents someone from seeing where you've touched the screen to input your code (it generates random digits that you have to press before entering your actual entry code). 

This is to prevent someone from simply looking at where your fingerprint smudges are and copying the code that way. The Kwikset Obsidian stands out from the smart lock crowd in more ways than one.

Should I buy a Quikset Obsidian Smart Lock?

It may look like a straight-forward lock, but that's the appeal of the Ultion Smart – at first glance, it appears like a traditional lock, one that wouldn't appear out of place on any old door.

But the Ultion is packed full of tech, from voice-activation to geo-locking, even working with an Apple Watch as its key. And there's still the option of using a real key, too, should your connectivity fail. For home rental owners, like AirBnB users, it's compatible with a wireless keypad for PIN access as well.

The Ultion SMART Bluetooth model is available to purchase for £229, whilst the Zigbee/Z-Wave model costs £259 and the Apple HomeKit version is £259.

Find out more at the Ultion Lock website.

• Smarten up your home with the best smart plugs and switches

Sticking a filter on your next Snap will be, well, a snap as you will have thousands more to choose from in the new Lens Explorer tab.

The newly announced Lens Explorer gives Snapchat users access to filters created by other Snapchatters, going beyond the cat ears and flower crowns generated by Snap itself. 

To access Lens Explorer, tap the new icon in the Lens Carousel when it's visible to you. Tap on a Lens tile to "unlock" a Lens (way to gamify the process there, Snap). 

Then, you'll either be taken straight to the Snap Camera or can browse Lenses in Stories. Swipe up on Snaps in Stories to unlock Lenses found here. 

Lens Studio, which Snap launched in 2017, lets anyone submit a Lens of their creation. Snap says more than 100,000 Lenses have been viewed over 2.5 billion times in that span. 

Now, anyone can find and slap these Lenses onto their next Snap. Look for the new feature on iOS at launch. No word yet on when Lens Explorer heads to Android. 

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Instagram will no longer tell users if someone screenshots their Stories, so screengrab till your heart's content, 'grammers. 

The company confirmed as much to BuzzFeed News, saying it's ending its test into the feature. 

Since February, Instagram had been alerting those selected for its beta test that someone had screenshot their Story, but now Instagram is chucking those notifications once and for all. 

As 9to5Mac notes, the test included users receiving a push notification, complete with user name, whenever their Story was screenshot. 

So, for the time being, no one will know if you screenshot someone else's photos or videos. Lurk away.

• Are hour-long videos coming to Instagram?

Apple's big WWDC 2018 keynote introduced iOS 12 to the world, and one of the key new features of the updated mobile operating system is ARKit 2.

ARKit 2 is the newest version of ARKit, the framework Apple announced at last year's WWDC that allows developers to create augmented reality (AR) apps and games for the iPhone and iPad.

The first ARKit instantly turned hundreds of millions of iPhones and iPads into AR-compatible machines as users could suddenly overlay digital objects onto the real world – with the right applications, of course. 

With ARKit 2, Apple is going even further. We've outlined the big changes ARKit 2 brings forth below. We'll also dive into what the updated framework could mean for Apple's AR ambitions going forward.

• How to get iOS 12

Shared experiences

The ARKit 2 feature that users will get the most enjoyment out of is shared experiences. This means that two or more people can see and interact with the same AR app or game using different devices at the same time. 

Think of shared experiences as multiplayer for AR.

To demonstrate ARKit 2's multiplayer powers, Lego Director of Innovation Martin Sanders came on stage to show how an ordinary Lego play set could be amplified by the new framework. 

To take it up a few more notches someone else from the brand joined Sanders, and the two (armed with iPads) began adding characters like Lego Batman and buildings to the same AR scene.  

Not only could each player add characters and other elements that the other could see and interact with, but they were also able to conduct a rescue mission together. 

Upon successfully completing the mission, the game unlocked a new car for the two players. 

Shared experiences is an important addition to ARKit because it means AR on the iPhone and iPad is no longer a solitary experience. 

Never again does a friend have to peer over your shoulder to see the AR world you're seeing; with ARKit 2 apps, you and your friends can see the same worlds and play together. 

This has huge implications for games like Pokemon Go and others that could let you interact with, work with or compete against your friends in real-time.

Google announced similar capabilities for its AR platform in the form of Cloud Anchors at this year's IO conference, so ARKit 2 brings Apple more closely in line with its biggest rival. 

This is all neat, of course, but we'll have to wait and see how users take to shared experiences in ARKit when it becomes available with iOS 12 in September.

Persistent tracking

Another new ARKit 2 feature today's Lego demonstration served to highlight is persistent tracking. 

Now, when you've placed a 3D object into an AR world, the object will stay there. Other users will be able to see it and interact with it, adding another level of immersion and player-to-player interaction.

Of course, you can also see the objects you've left behind and tinker with them yourself. You can be a little selfish with ARKit 2, if that's the sort of thing that's been holding you back from entering the virtual world.

Measure app and 3D object detection

Also making its way in ARKit 2 is an app called Measure that, well, lets you measure stuff. 

The neat thing about this app is that it shows off ARKit 2's improved object detection powers. It can sense and take accurate measurements of items like suitcases and even the dimensions of a photo, all with a drag of your finger across the screen.

And with 3D object detection, ARKit 2 can pick up objects of varying shapes and sizes with much greater accuracy. 

The first version of ARKit could detect flat items like tables well enough, but 3D object detection lets the framework know when it's looking at something that's got more than two sides. 

A new file format

Before you glaze over this section, know that ARKit 2's new file format means you can send AR objects across multiple platforms, which makes creating apps with cool animations that much easier. 

Co-developed with Pixar, the new format is called Universal Scene Description (USDZ) and is optimized for sharing, Apple says. Adobe also plans to support USDZ, making it much easier to use the new format.

With USDZ, AR-generated images can be sent over Messages or Mail, then viewed through a phone or tablet in the real-world. 

This could greatly expand the reach of AR experiences; image saving and sharing something you created over Messages, then mailing it to a friend who can view it and start manipulating it through their phone. Pretty nifty. 

What does ARKit 2 mean for Apple's AR future?

Apple is not slowing down when it comes to AR development, as evidenced by ARKit 2 and all the new features coming with it. 

This is good news for those who are looking forward to a future where we're using our phones and tablets for much than blankly clicking and tapping on a 2D screen.

With ARKit 2, Apple is setting an AR course for the next several years, a course that, crucially, revolves around AR being a social experience. 

Apple CEO Tim Cook has previously stated that he prefers AR over virtual reality because the former lets you stay present in the real world while also enhancing it. VR, by contrast, is defined by blocking out what's around you to fully immerse you in a digitally rendered realm.

ARKit 2's shared experiences hit on exactly what Cook wants to achieve; a digital enhancement to the real-world that lets you interact with another person, both IRL and in AR.

This could come to the fore in Apple's rumored AR glasses; users will be able to see the same scene through their lenses, each manipulating it in their own way. 

At the same time, an Apple VR headset with AR capabilities is said to be in the works, so how Apple reconciles the stark differences between the two technologies remains to be seen.

What we can say is that social interaction in AR is clearly important to Apple, so chances are we'll see features that support social features front and center whenever Apple makes its own glasses or headset... or both.

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Follow any Instagram accounts that are just plain... annoying? You know, the ones that post a little too often, usually of the same thing, and are always in your feed every time you scroll through?

Rather than cutting ties by unfollowing these accounts comletely, Instagram is rolling out a mute button, which lets you hide posts from an account for as long as you like. The mute feature had been spotted in testing a few weeks ago.

Now that it's official, we have more details on how it works. 

For starters, you'll still be able to see posts on a muted account's profile page, and you'll get alerts when you've been @'d in a post or comment related to the account. 

The muted account won't know you've banished their posts from your feed, either, which is fairly standard practice across social networks. 

If you're itching to get muting, start by tapping the '...' on a post. You'll see a 'Mute' option, and then you can drill down to either 'Mute Posts,' 'Mute Story,' or both.  

You can also mute both posts and stories by pressing and holding down on a Story.

To unmute an account, head back to their profile page and select 'Unmute posts,' or tap the three dots again and make your selection from there. 

The new mute button is part of an effort by Facebook-owned Instagram to give you more control over your feed. It's a feature many will likely welcome as it gives more flexibility to who you follow and how.

Another feature spotted by TechCrunch that's in testing is a "you're all caught up" notification, an alert users will see when they've laid their eyes on every new post in the past 48 hour period. 

Insta confirmed it's testing the feature, so we'll keep an eye on our feeds for when it becomes official.

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‘Head South on Montgomery Street.’

Sure thing, Google Maps. I just have to figure out which way ‘south’ is. 

Anyone who’s ever used Google Maps walking navigation has run into this situation. I have, lots of times. In fact, it happened to me just this morning as I was hurrying to an appointment in San Francisco, one of the most difficult cities to orient yourself in, even if you’ve been going there all your life, like I have.

The streets of San Francisco will always find a way to test you, especially when you find yourself standing on a street corner, clutching your phone and trying to decide which way you should turn so that you are, indeed, heading north on Clay Street. 

Sometimes you get lucky, and you end up walking on the proper path to get you to your destination thanks to a mix of intuition and sheer luck.  

Other times, you walk several yards or more in the direction you think the blue dot is telling you to go, even cross a street or two, before it reorients itself and you realize you’ve been walking the wrong way all along. 

There are few things more stressful than realizing you’ve walked in the complete opposite direction of the blue dotted line when you’re running late to a meeting.

Google knows this pain all to well, and during its mega developer conference, known as Google IO 2018, this week in Mountain View, California, the company announced it’s working on a solution. 

For me, this turned out to be the most exciting thing unveiled at this year’s IO.

AR to the rescue

Google Maps’ new walking navigation feature will use your phone’s camera, artificial intelligence (AI) and augmented reality (AR) to give you a real-world view of your surroundings while in a navigation. 

Arrows overlain onto the landscape will tell you which way to go while still allowing you to see everything that’s going on around you. 

You’ll also see little cards that identify landmarks and restaurants, acting as a sort of virtual tour guide but also helping you to get your bearings.

The new experience will use something Google is calling a visual positioning system (VPS) to scan what’s around you, then match what it sees with Google Maps’ Street View imagery. 

You’ll then receive cues (arrows, etc.) to tell you which way to go. Google is even experimenting with an AR guide to show you the way. 

As for when we can get walking with the new Maps feature, Google tells us it plans to launch the new experience in select cities later this year.

What excited me about this is not just that it brings world-scale AR to Google Maps, but that it’s a practical solution to an everyday problem, one I encounter at least several times a month, and often when I’m in a state of stress.

It also serves as a reminder that sometimes the simplest, most practical solutions to everyday problems can have the most meaningful impact on our lives. 

A different kind of wizardry

While the innovations coming to Maps were, in my opinion, the most exciting bit of software unveiled by Google at IO, it wasn't alone. 

Another technology, called Google Duplex, rightfully garnered praise, excitement and criticism in equal measure.

Here’s what happened: Google Duplex, a new AI agent that can make phone calls for you, held conversations with real people who had no idea they were talking to a machine. 

It was mind-blowing, and we’ve written lots about it. It’s an amazing and, for some, scary advancement, one that could eventually replace humans in certain situations.

While this kind of wizardry is making headlines – again, rightly so – I’m just as taken with how AR in Google Maps will have a wildly useful impact on my life. 

Google Duplex, though impressive, is designed to perform a certain set of tasks; as Carrie Marshal explained for TechRadar, it won’t have a conversation with your mom for you (or at least, not a very good one), but it can book a table for your at a restaurant.

What's more, Google Duplex is likely a few years out from public release. Though beta testing is supposed to begin this summer, it's doubtful Google will roll Duplex out to the general public any time soon.

From a ‘something I’ll use everyday’ standpoint that’s also much closer to deployment, AR-based walking navigation wins out over having an AI make phone calls for me.

The new walking experience isn’t the only Google Maps update announced this week. Other items include a new group planning feature and a new ‘For You’ tab so you can keep an eye on events and other happenings you might be interested that are taking place near you. 

Google Maps, which is already a good and helpful platform, is taking steps to get even better. By adding AR-based walking navigation and solving a real problem I face regularly, it’s taking steps to be a little magical, too.

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With the proliferation of dating apps, it's no surprise that Facebook, after 14 years in existence, is jumping into the pool of helping people connect... romantically. 

The company announced at its F8 2018 developer conference today that it's launching a dating feature, "for real relationships, not hookups," Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg said on stage. 

People will be able to make a dating profile that's separate from their Facebook profile (a little heart icon will take you to your dating profile). 

The dating profile won't be visible to your Facebook friends, nor will it show up in places like the News Feed. 

Dating profiles will only feature a first name, and will highlights users' interests and has some photos. Only people who use the dating service will be able to see other parties' profiles. 

Facebook connections

Users will also be able to browse events near them and groups centered around their shared interests, reflecting how many people meet to date anyway.

Potential romantic matches will also be suggested based on your shared interests, things in common and mutual friends, Facebook says. 

After finding someone you're interested in, you'll then choose a photo of theirs that acts a "conversation starter." You and the person you've contacted can have a private chat through an inbox that's connected to your profiles and separate from Messenger and WhatsApp.

What's more, the conversation will be text-only, for safety reasons. 

Facebook isn't ready to launch dating profiles yet, and says it will share more details as testing begins in a few months. So, dating features won't be on Facebook soon, though you can expect their arrival before too long.

• The standalone Oculus Go VR headset has arrived! 

Augmented reality (AR) is helpful for letting customers see what they're purchasing before hitting the 'buy' button, and now Facebook is rolling out this useful feature to the Messenger app. Kind of. 

Launching in a closed beta, AR is coming to Messenger for businesses that use bots, or automated messaging systems to communicate with customers. 

By utilizing Facebook's Camera Effects Platform, businesses can add brand-specific effects that their customers can engage with. All customers have to do is open the camera on their phone, and filters and AR effects pop up.

The limited launch sees partners Nike, Kia, Asus and Sephora offering users a way to, for example, see a Kia Stinger in different colors or what certain makeups look like on their faces. 

There are no OS or hardware requirements for AR to work on Messenger, though again, this is a closed beta limited to certain partners for now. 

Users can share the experiences with others in a group or one-on-one message, or in a Facebook Story. 

The idea is that friends and family can give feedback on the product, mirroring the shopping experience one might have with someone whose opinion they value in a physical store. 

According to Facebook, there are over 300,000 active bots on Messenger, and 8 billion messages are shared between people and businesses every month. 

It remains to be seen whether the new AR effects provide real value to customers or are merely a novelty, but it's clear Facebook is actively developing its AR features. Apple's ARKit and Google ARCore better watch out.

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The Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9 Plus have been humming along at 64GB of internal storage in the US since launch, but today Samsung revealed it's finally giving both phones a much-needed storage boost here. 

The smartphones will be available in 128GB and 256GB storage options starting with pre-orders tomorrow, May 1. The Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9 Plus with more storage officially go on sale in the US on May 18 via Samsung.com.

This should be welcome news to those who've held off buying the excellent Android phones because of the limited storage option available. With all that extra space, you can pack even more photos and 4K videos into your phone.

Plus, the new Galaxy S9 and S9 Plus will continue to support external microSD cards with up to 400GB of capacity, giving you even more memory to work with. 

As for price, you will be paying more for that added storage. The 128GB Galaxy S9 retails for $769.99, and the 128GB Galaxy S9 Plus retails for $889.99. 

The 256GB Galaxy S9 is on the shelf for $819.99, and the 256GB Galaxy S9 Plus can be yours for $939.99.

You can choose either phone in either storage option in one of three colors: Lilac Purpople, Coral Blue and Midnight Black. 

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News broke last night that Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg and other executives at the social network had their messages unsent or retracted from recipients' inboxes. 

Facebook told TechCrunch, which has email evidence showing messages that were deleted, that it retracted the messages "to protect our executives' communications" following the Sony Pictures email hack of 2014. 

However, because average users don't have the ability to unsend messages and Facebook didn't disclose to recipients that it was deleting messages from their inboxes, many view the whole thing as a breach of user trust.

Now, in the wake of the backlash, Facebook says it will release "a broader delete message feature" to users in the coming months.

"This may take some time," Facebook said in a statement to TechCrunch on Friday about the unsend feature. "And until this feature is ready, we will no longer be deleting any executives' messages. We should have done this sooner – and we're sorry that we did not."

Disappearing act

Facebook says it's still working out the particulars of the unsend feature, though one option is to have an expiration timer on messages, causing them to disappear once the timer set by the sender runs out.

Facebook currently offers such a timer in Secret Conversations, a feature within Messenger that encrypts messages and lets users determine how long the messages are visible before they disappear.

But in order to have these disappearing conversations, users must select the Secret option inside Messenger. The conversations in which Facebook deleted messages sent by Zuckerberg and other executives' took place in regular Messenger mode.

It remains to be seen how the new unsend feature will work, but the timing of the retracted messages revelation couldn't be worse for Facebook.

The company is already under fire for the Cambridge Analytica data scandal, and it disclosed this week that information from 87 million users may have been obtained improperly by the firm. Zuckerberg is due to testify before US lawmakers next week about how Facebook protects user privacy.

Unlike its executives' messages, the scrutiny Facebook is under won't be disappearing any time soon.

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Apple took a headlong dive into augmented reality (AR) when it announced ARKit in iOS 11, giving developers a platform to create AR experiences for the iPhone and iPad. New data seems to suggest that leap is paying off.

Sensor Tower, an app insights firm, found that more than 13 million ARKit-only apps have been installed on iOS devices around the globe since ARKit launched on September 19, 2017. 

Looking more closely at the kind of ARKit apps users installed, games runs away with the lead, accounting for 47% of installs. A distant second are apps in the Utilities category at 14%, followed by Entertainment at 12% and Lifestyle at 11%. 

Utilities actually dropped 4% from Sensor Tower's first analysis in October 2017, while Lifestyle jumped 6% from its original position.

So, which ARKit-only apps are the most popular? AR Dragon, a pet simulator that has you take care of a baby dragon, is the top free app. Measuring app CamToPlan Pro, meanwhile, leads in both the Paid and Grossing categories. 

You can see a breakdown of each category as well as other data from Sensor Tower in the charts below:

Sensor Tower kept its analysis to ARKit-only apps, or apps that primarily focus on AR. The data doesn't include apps with limited ARKit functionality, such as AR photo modes or traditional apps with augmented reality elements tacked on.

The data seems to point to a growing interest in ARKit apps; at the time of Sensor Tower's first analysis in October 2017, it found over three million ARKit-only apps had been installed. 

Mega hit Pokemon Go undoubtedly helped bring mobile AR into the mainstream, and while nothing has reached Go-levels of success since then, the ARKit ecosystem seems to be plugging along nicely. 

With iOS 12 due to debut at WWDC 2018 in early June, we should hear even more about Apple's AR plans. It's prooobbbbably too early for the Apple AR glasses, so instead expect plenty of continued ARKit chatter.

Via TechCrunch

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Instagram has gotten a ton of flack for showing users posts out of chronological order. 

The social media platform's algorithm-based feed means you often miss timely posts, such as a family member's vacation photos or a friend's engagement announcement. It's no fun to be several days late to the congratulations party.

Today, finally, Instagram is addressing this dilemma with two changes.

The first is that Instagram is testing a new button called 'New Posts'  that essentially lets you reset your feed to show newer content, if you choose. Press the button, and you'll be whisked back to the top of your feed where you'll find new posts to like and comment on.

If you don't tap the button, you'll keep scrolling right on through without Instagram automatically refreshing.

Secondly, the Facebook-owned company plans to show more recent posts in your feed. In Insta's words, this change is "to ensure that newer posts are more likely to appear first in feed."

Your feed should feel 'more fresh,' so hopefully this means you'll see more stuff that's been posted within the last 24 hours versus several days ago.

Instagram has more changes for its feed in store, which it said will improve the experience. These announcements are small steps in the right direction for the social platform, and hopefully truly do mean a more enjoyable experience for users. 

Oh, and sorry if we missed your most recent vacation photos. We probably would have liked them had we seen them.

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Qualcomm has revealed a new artificial intelligence (AI) engine as part of a wave of MWC 2018 announcements today. While the engine is more of a background player, you'll likely see improvements on your mobile device wherever the engine is implemented.

The Qualcomm AI Engine isn't made up of new parts, Gary Brotman, Qualcomm's director of product management, said in a briefing. Rather, the engine itself is the new arrival. It brings together different hardware and software components to enable faster AI user experiences through on-device processing.  

The various parts now occupying one roof include hardware architectures, like the Adreno GPU, software components, such as the Snapdragon Neural Processing Engine and Android Neural Networks API, and finally frameworks, like TensorFlow and TensorFlow Lite.

To support the new AI Engine, devices will need to house a Snapdragon 845, 835, 820 or 660 chipset. No devices with the Snapdragon 845 are official yet, but the Samsung Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9 Plus will be some of the first arrivals next week, and the chip should also make its way to some of the year's best Android phones. 

Qualcomm notes that many of the manufacturers that already support parts of the new AI Engine, which include names like OnePlus and Motorola, are on board to utilize the full thing on future flagship devices running Snapdragon. 

Make it snappy

From a user standpoint, the new engine is said to cut down on the time it takes to do certain tasks on your phone, such as zeroing in on a subject when taking a photo. What's more, battery life doesn't suffer as much in the process.

Voice and natural language processing are other areas billed as having reduced latency. Conversation is more natural with on-device processing, Brotman said, and gone is the lag that creates the sensation of talking to a robot. 

Brotman put the improvements expected with the new AI Engine like this: "Anything to do with the time that it takes perform a specific task and the accuracy of the task are two key areas where the experience will improve for users."

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Tim Cook is a fan of augmented reality (AR). Revelation that is not, but the Apple CEO has waxed some more on why he's a proponent of AR, and how he sees it improving our lives.

"I see AR as being profound," Cook said on the company's first quarter earnings call on Thursday. "AR has the ability to amplify human performance instead of isolating humans. So I am a huge, huge believer in AR. We put a lot of energy on AR. We're moving very fast."

Cook was responding to an analyst's question as to whether he sees Apple eventually providing an ecosystem of AR-enabled devices beyond the iPhone and iPad. Unsurprisingly, Cook didn't talk about specific device plans, but his response shows that Apple is very much focused on augmented reality, and actively supporting its development.

Cook pointed to the speed at which ARKit has leaped from version 1.0 to 1.5, and noted he "couldn't be happier with the rate and pace of the developer community, how fast they're developing these things." ARKit is the developer framework Apple introduced in iOS 11 that allows any iPhone and iPad to transform into an augmented reality machine. 

But the Apple CEO wouldn't go so far as to reveal or even tease what the company's plans are for AR devices, saying, "I don't want to say what we may do, but I could not be happier with how things are going right now."

No AR device... yet

What we can glean from Cook is that the company will continue supporting ARKit and AR features for the iPhone and iPad into the foreseeable future. We'll likely only see more AR tricks introduced in future iPhones, such as the iPhone X2, and more AR apps and games for all iOS devices come to the fore.

These, as Cook suggests, could amplify our performance, at least by allowing users to continue interacting with the real world while augmenting what they see with useful and time-saving information. 

One ARKit app already available that demonstrates this potential is Ikea Place, which lets users place true-to-scale furniture in their home to see what it looks like before purchasing. We may not turn into superhumans overnight (not yet, anyway), but we can become more efficient thanks to AR. 

As for what Apple may have planned in the next few years, it's long been rumored that the company is developing a pair of augmented reality glasses. These Apple AR glasses could reportedly launch in 2020, and while hires and patents have pointed to their development, there's no concrete evidence the glasses exist yet (though they probably do). 

Cook's unwavering attitude towards AR at least supports the notion of AR glasses. He has spoken previously about how he thinks AR will eventually be as commonplace as "eating three meals a day". He explained in early 2017 that he prefers AR over VR because it "allows individuals to be present in the world but hopefully allows an improvement on what's happening presently," and compared AR to "a big idea, like the smartphone."

So, don't expect a VR headset akin to the Oculus Rift or HTC Vive from Apple anytime soon. In the meantime, look for more AR apps and games coming to your iPhone and iPad. It may be some time before we see a dedicated Apple AR device, but the forecast is making one's appearance seem ever more likely.

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