Tech Wrap: WhatsApp update, Battlegrounds Mobile India at new high and PUBG Mobile, Free Fire banned

The world of technology today saw some massive announcements. While some were good for the companies involved, for others, like PUBG Mobile and Garena Free Fire, it was bad. For Krafton, Battlegrounds Mobile India good news is just not stopping and the latest one is that the PUBG Mobile India successor has clocked 50 million downloads. We also saw tech companies launching new smartphone series like Motorola rolling out its Edge 20 series consisting of Edge 20 and Edge 20 Fusion smartphones and Asus rolling out its ROG Phone 5s and ROG Phone 5s Pro. Yes, and Tinder launched another online dating safety feature. So, here’s what happened in the tech world today:

WhatsApp gets Payments Backgrounds

WhatsApp today introduced a new feature called Payments Backgrounds for its WhatsApp Payments users in India. WhatsApp says that this new feature is aimed at delivering a personalised payments experience to WhatsApp users. It enables users to select a relevant background while sending money to a friend or a family member.

Battlegrounds Mobile India downloads hit 50-mn mark

Battlegrounds Mobile India downloads have now crossed the 50 million mark on Google Play Store. The company is also running an Independence Day Mahotsav in the Battlegrounds Mobile India game that is live until August 19, after the Freedom Face-Off event that was held on August 15. In addition to this, Krafton announced that it would make announcements on the iOS version of the game very soon.

PUBG Mobile, Garena Free Fire banned in Bangladesh

Popular online games PUBG Mobile, Garena Free Fire, short-video streaming service TikTok and others have been ordered banned by a high court in Bangladesh. This was reminiscent of the crackdown that India had launched against Chinese apps last year. As per a report by Bangladesh Tribune, Bangladesh High court has ordered relevant authorities in the country to “remove all dangerous or harmful games and mobile applications” from the Internet in the country and the list includes the likes of PUBG Mobile, Garena Free Fire, TikTok, Bigo Live and Likee, among others.

Motorola launches Edge 20, Edge 20 Fusion in India

Motorola today launched the Edge 20 series consisting of the Moto Edge 20 and Moto 20 Fusion smartphones. The Moto Edge 20 costs ₹29,999 in India while the Moto Edge 20 Fusion starts at a price of ₹21,499 for the 6GB RAM and 128GB version. Both these phones will go on sale in India later this month.

Asus ROG Phone 5s, ROG Phone 5s Pro unveiled

Asus has announced two new smartphones in its ROG Phone lineup. The list includes ROG Phone 5s and ROG Phone 5s Pro smartphones. Both come with Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 888 Plus SoC and have a 144Hz refresh rate, and 1200 nits maximum brightness. The ROG Phone 5s and ROG Phone 5s Pro are both listed on the official website. However, their price and availability are yet to be confirmed.

Tinder commits to ID verification for members globally

Tinder has announced it is going to make ID verification available to all its members globally soon. The verification feature is going to begin as voluntary, except where mandated by law, and based on the inputs received Tinder is going to evolve it to ensure an “equitable, inclusive and privacy-friendly approach to ID verification”. Tinder has already tested this feature in Japan and now it is planning to bring this feature to users globally.