Over the past few years, programs like MoviePass have revived the once dying movie-going experience. While films like Black Panther are guaranteed to draw huge crowds, even smaller movies are gaining larger in-theater audiences. In fact, in 2016 more than two-thirds of all Americans went to the movies at least once.
Since the majority of people use the internet to search for movie times and reviews online, Google decided to make the entire process more streamlined when you search through Google on a mobile browser or use the Google app on Android devices. Starting Tuesday, April 3, users can have access to a bevy of information about movies playing in their local theaters.
Google now provides you with a listing of movies by showtime at theaters in your area. Once you find a title that piques your interest, simply tap on it to learn more. Google will provide a synopsis of the film, review scores from IMDb, Metacritic, and Rotten Tomatoes, as well as showtimes for other local theaters. Once you have found the movie of your choice, simply tap on the showtime to purchase your tickets.
The feature is the latest in a series of updates for the tech giant that’s focused on entertainment. Last week, the company announced an update to its Google Play Movies and TV app for Android that allows users to quickly determine where a certain show or movie is streaming. The feature, similar to Apple’s TV app, aggregates information from most of the major streaming services (excluding Netflix) so you don’t need to hunt through a dozen different apps to binge watch your favorite series.
Right now, the feature is only available in the United States and India, although we expect to see it roll out to other regions eventually. To use the feature, simply search for a movie via a mobile browser or in the Google app for Android. If you’re using an iPhone, you either need to search through your browser or wait a bit longer: Google says it will roll out the feature for the Google app on iOS in the near future.
Two new highly requested iCloud plugins just got added to ChatGPT, giving people who rely on Apple’s Mail and Calendar services a way to search emails, check appointments, and manage their schedules directly through the chatbot.
The integration is rolling out to all ChatGPT plans, including the free tier. You can access it on the web, desktop, and iOS.
Google Play is borrowing one of the Nintendo Switch’s most useful little tricks. A new Sidekick tool called Playbacks captures a short clip after something interesting has already happened, sparing players from running a screen recorder throughout an entire game.
Playbacks is part of Google Play Store v53.8 and keeps saved clips on the phone. Google first announced it earlier this month, but the new Play Store update marks its arrival for players. Anyone who has watched a perfect win vanish because the record button came too late already understands the appeal.
Samsung’s scandal over its Game Optimizing Service, or GOS, has returned with a bill attached. South Korea’s Fair Trade Commission has tentatively fined the company 20.1 billion won, or about $15.1 million, over gaming claims made for the Galaxy S21, Galaxy S22, and Tab S8.
The regulator says Samsung promoted the devices as gaming powerhouses without disclosing that GOS placed preset CPU and GPU limits on certain demanding games. Samsung disputes that conclusion, calling GOS a legitimate way to manage heat.