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The best new apps and updates you may have missed in February

Pinterest Lens
Pinterest Lens

Pinterest

Messaging and dating apps had a big month in February. 

Old favorites like Pinterest and WhatsApp got exciting new updates, while up-and-comers like Hopper made big improvements. And Android Wear — Google’s smartwatch operating system — got its first major update in nearly three years. 

Here are some exciting new apps and updates you may have missed this month. 

Google Maps now lets you send a list of recommendations to your friends

Google rolled out an update to both iOS and Android devices that allows people to build and share curated lists of recommended places within Google Maps. Users will also be able to follow their friends’ lists, as well as view and edit lists on the desktop version of Maps. Lists are available to view and edit offline.

Android Wear is new and improved

In February, Google launched Android Wear 2.0, a redesigned version of its smartwatch operating system that runs on two new watches. One of the most exciting new features of Android Wear 2.0 is having the Play Store on a smartwatch. As long as the watch has a cellular connection, you can use apps on the watch and even make calls, regardless of whether your phone is in your pocket or at home. The new OS also features improved fitness tracking and more simplified user experience. 

Read more about the updates to Android Wear here

Hotline is a new dating app that forces you to talk to people on the phone

Hotline is a new dating app with an old-school feature: real-life phone calls. The subscription app — which is only available in New York right now — costs $9 per month and offers unlimited swiping but a limited number of matches (three at a time). Users can add photos and videos to their profiles, flesh out their info more than other dating apps, and gender identify however they’d like. 

Once you match with someone, you’re required to call them on the phone before you can start messaging them, and the call has to last longer than five minutes. The app places the calls for you, so you won’t have to worry about giving out your phone number to strangers. 

Amazon created its own version of Skype to improve company meetings

Amazon Chime is a new videoconferencing service from Amazon Web Services that went live in mid-February. The cross-platform video- and audio-calling app runs on Windows, MacOS, iOS, and Android, and promises to make work conferences more seamless and easier to start. The software promises to make screen-sharing easy, as well as prevent lag, low-quality video, and other common issues with videoconferencing.

WhatsApp launched an encrypted version of Snapchat Stories

WhatsApp is launching a new feature that looks very familiar. While you could always post a short status update on the app, you can now post photos and videos in a format that looks quite similar to Snapchat’s and Instagram’s Stories, with one key difference: a WhatsApp status is end-to-end encrypted

The new feature is still in beta in Europe and the Middle East, but will eventually roll out worldwide. 

Bitmoji is now available on Google Chrome

For anyone who has the desire to use Bitmoji in emails and Google Docs, there’s now a Chrome extension for that. Once added, the extension lives at the top right-hand side of your browser and works the same as it does on mobile: just copy and paste the Bitmoji of your choice into the text field. 

Pokémon Go released new features and more than 80 new Pokémon

Pokémon Go got a major second-generation update this month. More than 80 new Pokémon have been released in Pokémon Go, along with features like new evolutions, new berries, and new encounter gameplay. 

Here are all the new Pokémon and items to save in the game.

Pinterest’s new Lens feature helps you find objects online that you see in everyday life

Pinterest Lens lets you use your camera to identify decor, clothing, and food you see in the real world. By pointing your camera at a pair of shoes, for instance, you’ll be able to see similar styles on Pinterest and get ideas for how to wear them. Lens is still in beta, but will eventually be able to recognize a wider range of items. 

Pinterest launched two other features in February as well: Instant Ideas, which shows you related pins by tapping on a circle on the pin; and an update to Shop the Look, which lets you find the exact products that appear in pins.

 

Hopper’s new update helps you avoid sneaky airline fees

Travel app Hopperwhich tells you when to book your flight to maximize savings, has rolled out a new feature to help you avoid getting smacked with hidden fees. 

A common gripe with Hopper has been that it’s not always clear which tickets are going to have potential fees associated with them. Now, Hopper is trying to change that with a new feature, which will give you “an overview of all the restrictions and fees related to cancellations, changes, carry-on baggage, checked baggage, and seat selection.”

YikYak (likely) created a social network for your college campus

Although YikYak isn’t publicly claiming Hive as its own, the social networking company appears to have made a pivot into group messaging. 

Hive bills itself as “an exclusive social network for your campus.” Inside the app, users will be able to find chat rooms for their classes, see profiles of classmates, and send messages to those in the class.

The app hasn’t yet launched to campuses around the country, however. Right now, Hive is only available at Furman University, the college where YikYak’s cofounders first met. 

 

OkCupid has arrived in 2017 with new updates and a redesigned look

OkCupid is staying current with its latest updates. The dating app now offers updated questions and categories — inspired by a contentious 2016 — that help you find out a person’s core values before meeting them. 

While OkCupid already has a swiping feature similar to Tinder or Bumble, the app has also launched a new feature called DoubleTake, which offers more photos and information served up front to provide “a deeper look at each member’s individuality.” 

The company will also debut an updated look in March, complete with bright colors, a bolder typeface, and illustrations. 

Facebook is taking on LinkedIn by letting businesses post job listings

Facebook is going after job-listing sites with its latest update. US businesses on Facebook can now post open job listings natively to their pages and in the News Feed.

Once a Facebook page posts a job listing, anyone who visits that page will see the option to apply. To speed up the process, Facebook will offer to autofill application information, like a person’s name and location, from an applicant’s profile. Employers will be able to respond to applicants through Messenger.

Musical.ly launched a new video messaging app called PingPong

Lip-syncing app Musical.ly is getting into the instant video messaging game with Pingpong, a new app that launched on the App Store in mid-February.

Unlike Musical.ly’s group video chat app, Squad, Pingpong is for one-on-one video chatting. But the app isn’t allowing sign-ups and is more likely a test than a full-fledged app. 

Ona connects you with matchmakers and dating coaches

Ona is a dating-focused app, but it has almost nothing in common with Tinder and its peers. Instead, Ona connects you with dating specialists like matchmakers or dating coaches to help you meet people. While the app is free, you do have to pay for specific services. But the pricing is customized to each user and Ona says all the specialists in the app are highly vetted. 

Now you can post photo albums to Instagram

After years of only letting its users post one photo or video at a time, Instagram will finally allow the creation of albums for everyone, not just advertisers.

You can now post up to 10 photos or videos at once on Instagram. An album can be swiped through in the order it was uploaded in and individual profiles can be tagged in each photo or video, but your caption and location tag applies to the whole collection. A little album icon at the top right of a post’s thumbnail will indicate if there are multiple photos or videos to see.

The new feature will roll out to all users over the next few weeks. 

The post The best new apps and updates you may have missed in February appeared first on Business Insider.