Reliance Jio has started unlinking users who have not yet uploaded their Jio numbers. With the time running out for the Jio Dhan Dhana Dhan’s offer, anyone who has not paid for Jio services at least once will face disconnection. Previously, Reliance Jio had stated that users who had not signed up for the Jio Summer Surprise Offer could sign up for the new offer by subscribing to the Jio Prime membership plan and purchasing the Rs. 309 or Rs. 509 must be charged before April 15 to “avoid degradation and service termination” and get free data benefits of 1 GB/day and 2 GB/day, respectively.
Many users who have not subscribed still have active services, but Gadgets 360 has learned that Reliance Jio has now started disconnecting services from such numbers. Based on what we’ve learned, this process won’t happen all at once. Apparently, some Jio users have already received the disconnection message, while for others, it will take a little longer, and in the coming days, it will happen for all users who have not charged.
At this point, any Reliance Jio user who hasn’t charged will still have the option to get the Dhan Dhana Dhan offer along with Jio Prime – so if your phone gets disconnected, you can go to a Jio store or the Go Jio website or MyJio app, and pay Rs. 408 (Rs. 99 for Prime and Rs. 309 for the offer) to get 84 days of data usage with 1 GB of 4G data for free per day.
Previously, Reliance Jio had said that the last date to subscribe to Prime would be March 31, but this was later extended to April 15, along with the Summer Surprise offer. However, Reliance Jio will continue to offer Jio Prime (and Dhan Dhana Dhan’s offering) for the foreseeable future, although it is unclear for how long. One of the Jio effects is competition, such as Airtel offering up to 30 GB of free data to postpaid customers.
Samsung Galaxy S8+ dual camera variant with optical fingerprint scanner tipped for the official launch of the Samsung Galaxy S8 and Samsung Galaxy S8+, the larger variant was tipped to carry the dual camera setup. Still, we didn’t see it launch at the New York event. Samsung later launched a 6GB RAM and 128GB storage variant in South Korea and China, and now a new leak suggests a dual-camera variant may also be on the way.
A live image leak on Weibo suggests that a Samsung Galaxy S8+ variant with a dual camera setup may be in the works. The two sensors on the back are positioned vertically, one below the other, with the heart rate sensor and flash directly behind them. Interestingly, there is no fingerprint scanner on the back or the front, and Samsung is expected to embed a fingerprint reader below the display.
Apparently, Samsung was not happy with the optical fingerprint technology before it launched the Samsung Galaxy S8 last month, but it is now confident enough to tackle it on its new variant. Samsung has reportedly teamed up with Synaptics to create the in-display fingerprint sensor. The Samsung Galaxy Note 8, which is expected to launch later this year, will introduce this new fingerprint-scanning technology. All other specifications of this variant are expected to be similar to those of the Galaxy S8+.
LG G6 India pre-registrations are now open. After beginning the global rollout of its flagship LG G6 smartphone earlier this month, LG has now opened pre-registrations for the smartphone in India. While the Indian launch date for the device has still not been announced by the South Korean company, users can head to the Indian website and express their interest in the phone.
For those unfamiliar with the term, pre-registrations require no deposit and are meant to show your interest in a product. This is different from pre-booking, which means booking the product for a nominal amount before it’s officially available. The phone has been made available in South Korea for a price tag of KRW 899,800 (approximately Rs. 51,200), but we’ll have to wait and see if the Indian price for the phone is in a similar range.
Ola, and Uber Driver unions threaten to strike in Delhi-NCR on Tuesday at “low rates”. This is the drivers’ second round of strikes. They also went on strike in February, which lasted 13 days, disrupting commuters in Delhi, Noida, Ghaziabad, Gurgaon, and Faridabad.
The strike could hit private transport services in Delhi and other neighboring cities as some groups of tourist taxi providers, the Autorickshaw Union, have lent their support to the Sarvodaya Drivers’ Association.
The association, which claims to represent about 1.25 lakh app-based taxis in the Delhi-NCR, is demanding that the fares be increased from the existing Rs. 6 per km to about Rs. 20 per kilometer. It also requires the abolition of a 25 percent commission charged to drivers by companies.
Google Photos’ People Folders are disappearing for some users; Google is working on a fix some users are reporting the disappearance of their “People” folders in Google Photos. This folder manages all the faces that keep appearing in your photos and divides them into different folders for easy exploring later. While some users can still see it, although many images are missing, it doesn’t show for many. The complaints were posted on Google’s product forum, with many users repeating the same issue. While some users claim that they can’t see a list of people, some say “that the list of people is now very short and missing a lot of people.”
Google has acknowledged the issue and is working on a fix. This means that Google isn’t secretly killing the “People” folder; it’s just a bug causing the problems. The company also recommended that you make sure that the “Face Grouping” option is turned off, as disabling Face Grouping will remove face groups from your account. Open the Google Photos app to enable Face Grouping. At the top left, tap Menu > Settings > Face Grouping > On.
WhatsApp seems poised to get the ‘Change Number’ feature; the Live Location feature re-spotted. WhatsApp is testing a new feature that can make life less painful when changing your contact number. Since your WhatsApp is often linked to your phone number, it’s always annoying to let users know that you’ve changed your number, and you end up broadcasting to all your contacts, letting them know about the change or leaving it alone. Users know on time. WhatsApp is trying to ease this transition and is testing a feature that will notify your friends and family of your number change. Apart from that, it looks like the live location-sharing feature recently introduced by both Facebook and Google will soon make its way to WhatsApp.
MapmyIndia showcases Street View competitor ‘RealView’, and partners with ISRO, Idea, and others MapmyIndia announced a new app and map-powered keyboard on Monday but also announced the next generation of its RealView technology, a competitor to Google Street View. Street View did not get approval from the Ministry of Home Affairs in India, creating a niche for businesses.
MapmyIndia says it will be an all-India map of the outer and inner areas, in 360 degrees and 3D, with the map data captured from the ground and via satellite imagery. At the same time, the company continues to emphasize its eLoc initiative – essentially a shortcode for physical addresses.
In addition, the company also announced a large number of partnerships. These include partnerships with ISRO, Reverie technologies, Idea Cellular, Udacity, and Aatapaha.
Xiaomi and Sony launch new headphones Xiaomi launched its closed-back Mi Headphones Comfort in India for Rs. 2,999. The headphones have a minimalist design and intuitive operation via the left earcup. The company says the headphones come with breathable pads that allow users to wear them comfortably for several hours. The headphones will be available from noon on Tuesday through the company’s website, Mi.com.
Sony has launched three new EXTRA BASS headphones in India and four new EXTRA BASS wireless speakers. The former will be available in India from Thursday through Sony Center and other major electronics retailers, while the latter will be available from April 25. Sony MDR-XB950B1 (Rs. 12,990), MDR-XB550AP (Rs. 3,290), and MDR-XB510AS (Rs. 2,790). The first is a wireless headset, while the other two are wired, with the MDR-XB550AP, a supra-aural headset, and the MDR-XB510AS, an in-ear pair with dust and water resistance intended for sports. All three support voice support functions through their built-in microphones.
Paytm Food Wallet aims to help businesses enable tax savings for their employees. In a strategic move, Paytm has launched a new feature called ‘Food Wallet’ that seeks to help companies transfer food allowances to their employees under a tax-free bracket in a cashless manner. This appears to be targeting services such as Sodexo and Ticket Restaurant by turning the food allowance into a digital affair, avoiding the loss of coupons or expirations. MobiKwik, in particular, launched a similar service in March.
Paytm CEO Vijay Shekhar Sharma also tweeted that the wallet will recognize your payments at any food or beverage outlet and automatically use the Food Wallet at all partner locations.
Disclosure: Paytm’s parent company, One97, is an investor in NDTV’s Gadgets 360.
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