Good day,
Today marks the 100th edition of Techpoint Digest, Techpoint Africa's daily newsletter. As of now, we've sent a hundred episodes to over 3,000 subscribers. Thank you all for sticking around.
If you're one of our first recipients, you probably read that lengthy newsletter on Friday, January 22, 2021, wondering what @nifemeah and @eruskkii were up to. (I feel we should apologise for that).
By now, I believe you've figured it out. But in case you haven't, Techpoint Digest is a daily roundup of happenings within the African tech space.
That said, we know there's been a lot happening, but wouldn't it be great to mark this milestone?
We'd love to know what you think about Techpoint Digest. Tell us one episode that stuck out to you. And of course, you deserve to let us know what you'd like to see us change or improve in coming editions. Send your replies to news@techpoint.africa.
By the way, did you notice the makeover? Don't you like it? We like to make what you read appealing to your eyes. And, yes, we'll continue to keep things simple, among other improvements coming to the newsletter.
So, here’s to another 100 editions!!
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Now to the remaining part of the newsletter. It's not all about us, and there's something for you.
Stay on the lookout for quizzes. One correct response for each question will win a 50% discount for tickets (either online or offline) to attend our upcoming event, SME Clinic by Techpoint. Click smeclinic.techpoint.africa for details. Terms and conditions apply.
Today, I’m discussing:
- Possible Twitter negotiations with the Nigerian government
- Android 12 beta 2 launch and Apple iOS 15’s features
Twitter reaches out to the Nigerian government for negotiations
Nigeria’s online space has been abuzz since the government announced the suspension of microblogging and social media platform, Twitter on Friday, June 4, 2021.
Now, according to Channels Television, Minister for Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, says Twitter has reached out to the government to negotiate. He made the statement on Wednesday, June 9, 2021, while addressing the State House correspondents after the Federal Executive Council meeting.
The Minister added that the suspension has been effective, saying Twitter has made significant losses since the ban.
Nothing from Twitter: However, the social media platform has kept mum about negotiating with the Nigerian government.
But the company, via its Public Policy account on June 5, 2021, said that the platform would “work to restore access for all those in Nigeria who rely on Twitter to communicate and connect with the world.”
Ask Malami? When Mohammed was questioned about the section of the law that prosecutes Nigerians who continue to use Twitter, he referred journalists to the country’s Attorney General, Abubakar Malami’s comment.
Twitter should pay tax too: The Minister discussed the Federal Government’s move to ensure social media and over-the-top (OTT) platforms — WhatsApp, Facebook, Netflix, et al. — are registered in the country and pay tax for the billions they earn.
“Quiz 1: How many topics did we discuss in the first edition? Mention two.”
On a non-Twitter related note, Apple has announced the new features coming to its new iOS 15.
The announcement was made during Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC). The event, dedicated to software, is held annually to showcase new features coming to operating systems across Apple’s ecosystem.
This year’s edition kicked off Monday, June 7, and will end Friday, June 11, 2021.
FaceTime, a feature known to be exclusive to iOS devices, will now work outside the ecosystem; it will include options to share screens like video conferencing platform, Zoom. The new operating system will continue Apple’s App Tracking Transparency feature that started with the previous upgrade.
Another interesting feature coming to the new iOS is Live Text. The iPhone camera will now be able to recognise text within an image. So, texts — phone numbers, words, symbols — in an image can be copied and saved.
We’ve seen this before: While this feature is new to iOS, it bears a close resemblance to Google Lens on Android devices, which can translate and save text from an image using the camera. However, whatever upgrades Apple has introduced to this feature will be ascertained when the operating system launches officially.
There’s more on Apple’s WWDC here.
“Quiz 2: If you noticed, Emmanuel and Oluwanifemi did something different with previous Thursday editions. What was the first topic in this trend?”
Speaking of Android, Google has released the second beta version of its latest operating system, Android 12. Launched Wednesday, June 9, 2021, the second version will come with more of the features promised at the Google I/O event in May.
Per TechCrunch, Google will bring more beta testers on board with the Android 12 beta 2 release. They will be testing out features like the new privacy dashboard, Quick Setting toggle, and Internet Panels that make switching between Internet providers easy.
What else I’m reading
- How to install the developer beta of iOS 15. Read.
- What Should You Send a VC Before Your Meeting? Read.
Have a beautiful day.
