Soon, Android smartphones could be able to tell if you're on a flight.

According to a recent patent filed by Google, the company is developing a new function dubbed "Connected Flight Mode" that would automatically switch mobile devices into aeroplane mode.

According to reports, Google is developing a new function dubbed "Connected Flight Mode" that would instantly switch Android devices into Aeroplane Mode.

In accordance with a recent patent application by Google, "Connected Flight Mode" will activate "Aeroplane mode" once it determines that you are travelling by plane and turn it off after you have landed. The new capability can instantly toggle Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, in contrast to the present Aeroplane mode implementation, which automatically turns off all radios. 

According to the patent, the functionality may be able to modify Wi-Fi settings to correspond to the kind of connection that the airline will permit. Additionally, if it notices that the device battery is running low or that the network connection is unstable, it may disengage from the network. Another thing to keep in mind is that when your smartphone goes into "Connected Flight Mode," updates and background app refresh will not be possible.

GST Council Implements a 28% Tax on Online Gaming, Raising Industry Concerns

Regardless of whether the games entail talent or are dependent on chance, tax would be applied to the total value.

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman recently announced that the GST Council has agreed to levy a 28% tax on the revenue from online gambling, horse racing, and casinos. The decision is applicable to the entire face value of these activities and was made by a group of ministers (GoM) made up of representatives from all 50 states and the union territories.

The Debate Over Tax Calculation

The panel debated whether the tax should be based only on platform fees, the overall gaming income, or the face value of wagers. Sitharaman underlined that regardless of whether the games entail talent or are based on chance, the tax will be assessed on the whole value.

Industry worries about online gaming

This move comes after three proposals for the creation of Self-Regulatory Organisations (SROs) in the online gaming industry were submitted to the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY). These SROs seek to control and distinguish between gambling applications and skill-based online gaming.

The Federation of Indian Fantasy Sports (FIFS), a self-regulatory organisation that represents business partners including Dream11, Fantasy Akhada, and Guru11, expressed dismay and issued a warning about potential "irreversible damage" to the gaming sector. They suggested that the tax rise may result in a decrease in income, have an effect on job possibilities, and push consumers onto illicit sites.

A recent Esports Players Welfare Association (EPWA) survey revealed that 61 out of 100 online gamers may discontinue playing due to the anticipated tax hike. The proposed changes place additional strain on the gaming industry, potentially affecting foreign investments, career prospects, and related sectors.

Industry stakeholders, including the FIFS and Games24x7, raised concerns that the GST imposition on Contest Entry Amount (CEA) would render the legitimate online gaming industry financially unviable. They cautioned that consumers may shift towards offshore and illegal platforms, resulting in tax losses, outflows of foreign exchange, and job cuts.

Users of Twitter Blue will soon have the option to conceal likes and subscription numbers.

 Twitter may eventually roll out new privacy-focused features that are only available to Blue subscribers.

In the middle of the upheaval, Twitter, controlled by Elon Musk, may soon roll out more services that are only available to its Blue members. According to rumours, premium Twitter Blue subscribers will soon have the option to conceal the like button as well as the audience's subscription count.

Only the person who has chosen to conceal the like tab will be able to see it. They may still like other users' posts and see how many people have liked them. The individual likes will still be displayed, but it will also conceal the like timeline from the Twitter API.

Similar to this, when a Twitter Blue user conceals the subscriber count, only them can access the profile's subscriber list.

Chandrayaan-3: Why is moon landing so difficult?

A trip to Earth's only natural satellite is still highly challenging and fraught with dangers more than 50 years after the first Apollo mission touched down there.

With the Chandrayaan-3 mission, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) will try a soft landing on the Moon once more. The mission is slated to launch from Sriharikota at 2.30 PM on July 14. The endeavour is still fairly challenging even though humans first set foot on the Moon more than 50 years ago.

When the Vikram lander collided with the Moon's surface in September 2019, the Chandrayaan-2 mission was declared a failure. A similar outcome befell the Israeli-led Beresheet expedition earlier that year. Years later, in April of this year, the Japanese Hakuto-R mission similarly failed to make a soft landing on the moon.

And these are just a few of the numerous missions that tried and failed to reach the Moon. The United States and the Soviet Union wrecked spacecraft after spacecraft during the space race in the 1960s before successfully landing one. With the Chang'e-5 mission in 2013, China became the only other nation to successfully perform a soft landing on the Moon.

UPI Lite has been introduced by Google Pay to encourage small-value transactions.

Existing users of Google Pay may establish a UPI light wallet within the same app, which can hold up to Rs 2,000 in funds.

UPI Lite payment, which enables users to make minor payments without needing the pin, is now officially supported by Google Pay, the second-largest Unified Payment Interface (UPI) platform in the nation. When compared to traditional UPI payments, UPI lite technology enables customers to send money quickly even during rush hour.

Existing users of Google Pay may establish a UPI light wallet within the same app, which can hold up to Rs 2,000 in funds. Additionally, it enables users to conduct transactions up to Rs 200 without the need for a pin. The Google Pay UPI light has a limited spending restriction because one may only load up to Rs 2,000 twice each day at the moment.

In September 2022, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) first launched UPI light payment, which is now supported by over 15 significant public and commercial banks. UPI lite payments were originally made available by Paytm, PhonePe, and BHIM, a trio of UPI payment apps.