App news round-up: March 2021

If you’re in the middle of having an app designed for your small business, or are considering developing an app, our round-up of the latest news from the industry should provide you with plenty of inspiration and ideas. Read on for our recap of the biggest stories from the last few weeks…

YouTube debuts in-app creation tool for Shorts

YouTube creators will be able to edit their video content with new in-app tools, as the platform presses ahead with the US beta for Shorts. YouTube Shorts are 15-second videos, which many see as a replica of the format TikTok has used to propel it to viral success over the last 12 months. First launched as a beta in India in 2020, Shorts already rack up more than 6.5 billion views a day so it’s a good bet the test will be rolled out to other countries in the near future.

Those making Shorts will be able to handle the process from within the YouTube app, which has been updated to allow for easy in-app editing. Features include the ability to add text, sample audio and remix audio from other Shorts, as well as pull in audio clips from some 250 labels.

Future updates will be made to the app with many expecting additional editing tools and options to monetize the shorter videos, perhaps with sponsored videos or advertising. Watch this space.

Google fixes Android apps issue

Millions of users have found themselves unable to access popular apps such as Gmail over the last few days, with the screens immediately shutting down upon launch. Apps including Amazon and TikTok were all impacted on the Adroid interface. Google has said the problem has been caused by WebView, which is pre-installed on all Android devices and can be resolved by heading to the App Store and downloading the latest version of each affected app and of WebView.

Instagram found to be most invasive app in new research

Highlighting once again the importance app users place on privacy and transparency when it comes to their data, new research carried out by a cloud storage firm suggests that our favourite apps may not be as trustworthy as we might have hoped.

pCloud says that Instagram shares 79% of its users’ personal data with third parties, with 86% of personal data used to sell users more Facebook-owned products and services and relevant ads. Parent company Facebook was found to be the second worst offender, but Netflix and new invite-only social app Clubhouse were at the opposite end of the scale with no user data shared.