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Songs from Instagram can now be quickly added to Spotify playlist

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Instagram and Spotify are now collaborating to ensure users have quick and seamless access to songs. Instagram users will now be able to quickly add what they like to their Spotify library with just a few taps.

Short-form videos make song discovery easy but listening to them was difficult.

Nearly every social media platform app is now offering short and ultra-short videos. These videos have a wide variety of content. However, one of the most included elements is songs or audio tracks from popular albums and even movies.

It is quite common to discover new songs and artists from apps like TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube Shorts. Despite knowing the names of the songs, it has been cumbersome to add them to a Spotify playlist. The process involved multiple steps, which the two platforms have now reduced.

Instagram and Spotify have reportedly ensured that users can quickly add songs they like to their Spotify playlists. Specifically speaking, Spotify indicated it is working with Instagram for a seamless experience.

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“We know that music is all around you and sometimes that means right on your social media feed. That’s why beginning today, Spotify is excited to unveil a new integration with Instagram that makes it even easier to capture and instantly add songs to Spotify from Instagram with just one simple tap.”

How to add songs from Instagram to Spotify playlists?

Instagram users will reportedly have a simple and quick way to add songs they like on Instagram and Reels to their Spotify library with just a few taps.

Previously, Instagram and Reel users were able to get more information about the song they listened to in one of the videos. However, moving forward, users would be able to the song to Spotify without leaving the app.

Instagram has essentially added a new button that appears right next to the player for listening to a preview of the song. The button says “Add” with the Spotify logo right next to the audio scrubber.

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When users tap that Add button, the song will get added to the “Liked Songs” in their Spotify library. Instagram has indicated that the new Add button will be available all around the world. As expected, the feature would be rolled out gradually.

It goes without saying, Instagram users will have to link their Spotify account with their Instagram account. However, after the linking process, it is a one-tap process to add songs from Instagram to Spotify playlists. Incidentally, TikTok has been offering this future for quite some time.

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Google restricting apps that request unlimited access to media library

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Google restricting apps that request unlimited access to media library

Google will soon restrict apps that request access to the entire media library on a smartphone. The Android OS developer has started reaching out to developers to adopt the privacy-preserving Android Photo Picker.

App developers have been unnecessarily demanding access to entire media

The media library or “Gallery” on an Android device reveals a lot about the user. Hence, it becomes vital to protect this area and limit access to apps.

Perhaps realizing just how sensitive the media library is, Google rolled out a more private media picker with Android 13 in 2022. The company then backported this feature to Android 4.4+. The primary intention was to offer app developers a secure way to access the media library.

Many popular apps from reputed developers have adopted the media picker. However, several apps still demand unrestricted access to the entire media library. Concerningly, quite a few of these apps don’t even need to look at the photos and videos stored on the device, and permission is often needed for one-time access only.

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Google changed gears last year, and instead of requesting app developers to adopt the Android Photo Picker feature, the company is now enforcing the policy. Specifically speaking, Google will reportedly start forcing apps to adopt the new photo picker through a Play Store policy change

Google to restrict access to media library for apps unrelated to media functions

The Photo Picker API grants apps access to photos or videos without the apps needing permission to access the entire media gallery. It is essentially granting a one-time permission or infrequent access to some photos or videos.

Google updated the UI of Photo Picker making it suitable for selecting photos and videos. It offers larger previews and tabs to switch between multimedia items and albums.

Last year, Google announced that it would start cracking down on apps that “unnecessarily request the READ_MEDIA_IMAGES and/or READ_MEDIA_VIDEO permissions (on Android 13+) to access the user’s images and/or videos.” Beginning in “early 2025,” “only apps with core functionality relying on accessing the user’s image and/or videos” would be allowed to use the READ_MEDIA_IMAGES and READ_MEDIA_VIDEO permissions.

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What this means is only those apps that have media functions would gain access to the entire media library. This includes the Gallery app and other image editing apps.

Google has reportedly started the crackdown on errant apps from September 18, 2024. Developers have until October 31, 2024, to justify their need to access the entire media library. They must submit a declaration form to ensure they qualify. Google is exempting private and enterprise management apps from this policy.

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You can now add songs to Spotify straight from Instagram posts

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You can now add songs to Spotify straight from Instagram posts

With short-form videos becoming extremely common these days, it’s not unusual to discover new songs and artists from apps like TikTok and Instagram. Now, Instagram has started rolling out a Spotify integration that will let you add songs you hear from posts and Reels straight to the audio streaming app, 9to5Mac has reported. If an Instagram post uses a song, and it’s linked at the bottom of the screen, tap on the song name to go to its audio preview page. There, you’ll find a new button that says “Add” with the Spotify logo right next to the audio scrubber.

When you tap that Add button, the song will get added to the “Liked Songs” in your Spotify library. You’ll have to link your Spotify account with your Instagram the first time you do it, but it becomes a one-tap process after that. The feature is now making its way to all users around the world. Back in August, mobile developer Alessandro Paluzzi found another type of integration between the two apps in development. That feature would allow Instagram users to continuously share what they’re listening to on Spotify, which would appear as notes on top of your profile picture.

TikTok has had the ability to add songs heard from videos to your music streaming library since last year. Its version of the feature works not just with Spotify, but also with Apple Music and Amazon Music.

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How game developers win in a soft market dominated by big platforms

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How game developers win in a soft market dominated by big platforms

Presented by Xsolla


Historically, the game industry is a cycle of boom and bust, with ten-year trend cycles. We’ve just emerged from the era dominated by creatives and publishers, marked by mergers and consolidation, to a world where platform holders dominate. Some of them, like Apple, are demanding large platform fees for creators, and taking large legal swings at other platforms in the competitive space. In the real world, games are no longer just about play. An entire generation grew up with multiplayer games as a natural place to socialize, hang out and entertain themselves. Player demand is at an all-time high, but companies are scrambling to find new ways to distribute, monetize and reach customers in this landscape.

“The question is, are you ready for that?” asked Joost van Dreunen, entrepreneur and CEO at Aldora, featured speaker during the fifth stop of the GamesBeat Global Tour in Seattle, presented by Xsolla. “What’s the model we’ll be facing as we go?”

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How does the video game industry move forward?

“Given the soft market, the answer, simply put, is that you have to go elsewhere,” van Druenen said. “You have to find other channels where you can entertain, build communities, build audiences, figure out how to reach them and offer them a different entertainment experience than we have before.”

Becoming multi-platform. Large companies, which tend to move slowly, are starting to launch new ways to connect with their players, as the industry starts to think more broadly about what it means to play. Games like Fallout now offer collectibles and trading cards, and both Xbox and Sony are pivoting to a multiplatform publishing model, instead of locking themselves in the traditional distribution channels.

“Is it always successful? Absolutely not. But at least some larger companies are willing to spend their time and money and expose their IP to build this out,” van Druenen added. “When the large platform holders start to think more creatively about different revenue models and different distribution channels, you can set your clock that the industry is shifting. The walled garden model is ending.”

Finding (and charging) your best fans. The ultimate curve model revolves around identifying your whales, your biggest and most loyal fans — and charging them more. Two years ago, the industry was still arguing about a $70 price point for premium games. Nowadays, users happily spend $100 to have the game a week or two earlier, with some exclusive digital assets. Fans want that VIP treatment, the velvet rope and the front seat. Large publishers with premium IPs can command a premium price.

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Identifying new and exciting IP. Another key model is bringing more IP into the gaming space, like Lego has been doing for years, to reach a non-endemic audience and bring them into the fold.

Reaching out to mainstream audiences. Along those same lines, large companies are leaning on traditional advertising as games become more normalized as entertainment for anyone. For instance, Genshin Impact announced $6 billion in revenue and is still partnering with McDonald’s.

Embrace fan content. Finally, these days, customer engagement is more than just booster packs and in-game currency – it’s become about supporting the fanbase in making new content. For instance, The Sims, made by one of the largest independent game makers publicly traded in the U.S., is embracing fan creators now, some of whom have been creating skins and items since the first title.

“Any way you slice it, in my mind it’s always about the audience,” van Druenen said. “We can build any kind of game, any kind of revenue model, any kind of device that is super-fast and beautiful. But it’s the people themselves that will tell you what’s what. It’s giving them some degree of ownership, whether      that’s organizing events, whether that’s esports or a competitive thing, a fan event. They’re successful components of a long tail, a decades-long strategy. They are the stewards of the brand and the experience overall.”

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The future of gaming and innovation

Learn more about the future of the game industry at the next stop of the GamesBeat Global Tour, happening in San Francisco on October 28, as part of GamesBeat Next 2024. GamesBeat Next is a premier gathering for game developers, publishers, investors, executives and industry visionaries. Whether you’re an industry veteran or a rising star, this is the event aimed at redefining your gaming journey, so don’t miss your spot — register now!

And on December 12 in Los Angeles, don’t miss the GamesBeat Insider Series: Hollywood & Games 2024, which will explore the dynamic collaborations between film, music, television and video games. Register here to be part of the conversation.

 Request your invite for the GB Global Tour here.


Sponsored articles are content produced by a company that is either paying for the post or has a business relationship with VentureBeat, and they’re always clearly marked. For more information, contact sales@venturebeat.com.

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Anora director Sean Baker interview: write the ending first

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Anora director Sean Baker interview: write the ending first

Sean Baker’s film Anora won the Palme d’Or at this year’s Cannes Film Festival — the latest in the director’s acclaimed narratives about sex workers that include Tangerine, The Florida Project, and Red Rocket. But Anora might be his most inviting, accessible work yet.

Anora — or Ani, as she prefers — is a lap dancer at a gentlemen’s club who finds a way out of sex work after she meets the son of a wealthy Russian oligarch named Vanya. Ani (Mikey Madison) and Vanya (Mark Eidelstein) elope, and suddenly a life that used to involve pleasing drunk clients has turned into one of luxury: a mansion to live in, money to spend, and diamonds to wear. But the excesses prove to be fleeting when Ani realizes Vanya has not been entirely forthcoming.

I talked with Sean after Anora’s debut at the New York Film Festival to discuss how he finds his stories, the power of women in his filmography, and how to make a medium-budget film look like a big-budget film.

Director Sean Baker and director of photography Drew Daniels on the set of Anora
Image: Neon
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The following conversation has been edited for length and clarity:

When did you know Anora was going to be the next film that you wanted to make?

There was this eureka moment, where we figured out the main plot. My team was working with a consultant who had more to do with the Russian American community than the sex work community. We were exploring this idea of this young woman who something happened to, something in which she was held as collateral by the Russian mafia because her deadbeat husband owed money. She started to realize, over the course of about 24 hours, that her husband was not the guy she thought she married because he didn’t come to the rescue. Suddenly, she started to gravitate toward the men, her captors, in sort of a Stockholm syndrome thing.

I was intrigued by that idea, but I didn’t want to tell a mafia film. I didn’t want to make a gangster movie, so I was trying to figure out, what else would put her in that situation? I was on Zoom with this consultant when I said, “How about if she just marries the son of a Russian oligarch?” And she laughed out loud when I said that, and I knew then that I struck something. It was that moment where we said, “We got it. That’s it. Now let’s just go and write this thing.”

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A lot of the stories you’ve told are rooted in the power of women. What about those stories is important to you?

My films are often just reactions to what I’m not seeing enough of in film and TV or what I want to see more of. I’m not the first to have an empathetic approach to sex work — definitely, not the first — but I don’t see a lot of it, and it’s few and far between. Often, when I see sex workers depicted, they’re usually supporting characters or the caricatures, and it has become more and more conscious. It has become a conscious decision of mine with each film, more so really to tell a universal story with a fully fleshed out, three-dimensional character, who is a sex worker, in order to just sort of… I wouldn’t say normalize, but there it is, I guess. My subversive tactic here is to really get audiences to think of sex work in a different way, to help for those who do see it with that eye of stigma, to chip away at that.

Anora feels as much like a big-budget film to me as it does kind of this “Fuck you, watch me” kind of film. How did you pull that off?

I had a slightly bigger budget than The Florida Project. When you make these movies, in order to compete with anything that the studios are making or even the mini-studios are making, you have to put all that money on the screen. You have to make a $6 million film look like a $50 million film that Hollywood would produce. So we put it all on the screen, and we always shoot on location, and we have multiple locations. I think that that’s the big difference. A lot of indie films, I guess there’s this thing where it’s like, “Oh, you’re making a film under a certain budget? Make it a two-header, put them in an apartment, and they never leave the apartment.” You know what I mean? And so, I fight against that.

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I also have ensemble casts. That’s very important to me, mostly for creative, because I just love to see an ensemble cast come together in a very chaotic, confrontational way, and to see all these different personalities at play, but also because it does add to production value, too. A big cast feels bigger.

The film opens at a club called Headquarters in Manhattan. What drew you to that location?

I wanted to explore this new wave of gentlemen’s clubs, which are basically lap dance clubs, because they’re so unique. It’s something new that I haven’t seen portrayed in film and TV yet. There’s a whole level of intimacy that comes with this different type of gentleman’s club. It also hearkens back to something I’ve always been intrigued by. In World War I, they had these things called a Dime a Dance, when soldiers would come into a city when they were on leave and they would pay a young woman to dance with them for a dime.

This is the 2020s version of a Dime a Dance, and I just find it fascinating, the way that there’s so much psychology involved. It’s totally different from just dancing on a pole on a stage. I mean, the interaction, the transactional thing that goes on, is so interesting. These young dancers, they’re either approaching a client or having a client approach them. Within seconds, they have to read that man and try to figure out, “Okay. How do I adjust my performance in order to get this person to spend money on me and perhaps take him to a private [place]?” It’s a real hustle, but it involves psychology. It involves the dancer to be exactly tuned to what that person is going through or thinking.

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Let’s talk about the ending. Can you talk about how important it is for you to stick the landing on a film?

Well, endings for me are number one. They’re the most important thing. It’s what you’re leaving the audience with. It’s what they’re going to be talking about minutes later when they leave the theater, and I always have to come up with the ending before even putting one word on paper. I have the beginning, middle, and end, and I figure out that ending, first and foremost. In this case, it was very stressful because I was asking for a lot.

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Apple not giving the iPhone 16 this one crucial feature is another example of its worst habit

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Apple iPhone 16 Review

After five joyous years as an Android user, curiosity got the best of me – I’ve been using an iPhone 15 for the last week or so to re-immerse myself in iOS and offer stronger contributions to our iPhone coverage.

Overall, I’ve been impressed by last year’s base-model iPhone. A lot has certainly changed since I parted with my iPhone 5S in 2019, and in the ten years between the launch of the iPhone 5S and iPhone 15, Apple has improved the iPhone in nearly every way, from the screen size (4 inches to 6.1 inches) to the battery life (a couple of hours to nearly all day) and connectivity (USB-C!).

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5 Amazon Prime Video shows that are perfect to stream in the fall

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5 Amazon Prime Video shows that are perfect to stream in the fall
Three people stand in Fallout.
Amazon Prime Video

With the fall season is in full swing and the weather beginning to turn, you might be thinking of cozy nights in versus busy days out. That’s especially with the holiday season on the horizon and all the hustle and bustle that comes along with that.

For those days or nights when you just want to relax in your loungewear and slippers while binge-watching a show, there are some great options. Digital Trends has selected these five Amazon Prime Video shows that are perfect to watch in the fall.

Need more recommendations? Then check out the best new shows to stream this week, as well as the best shows on Netflixbest shows on Hulubest shows on Amazon Prime Video, the best shows on Max, and best shows on Disney+.

Upload (2020-)

Upload Season 3 – Official Trailer | Prime Video

A delightful sci-fi comedy drama that parodies our real-life obsession with technology and AI, Upload begins when Nathan Brown (Robbie Amell) is near-death after a tragic car accident. In a panic, his wealthy girlfriend, Ingrid (Allegra Edwards), uploads him to a lavish afterlife community, an option in this near-future world that allows those with the financial means to continue interacting with their loved ones, even after death. As Nathan tries to deal with his now perpetual existence and an ex he was planning to break up with holding his purse strings, he grows closer with his living woman handler, Nora (Andy Allo). But he also starts to uncover a plot that suggests his death was no accident.

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Nora wearing VR glasses showing Nathan in the screen in a scene from Upload on Amazon Prime.
Amazon Prime Video

As the story in Upload takes many twists and turns, the chemistry among the main cast and standout supporting characters like Luke (Kevin Bigley), a frat boy-like former army vet uploaded after death, and his persistently annoyed handler, Aleesha (Zainab Johnson), will have you both laughing and also terrified about a future ruled by technology. The show will return for a fourth and final season, so this fall is the perfect time to catch up on the first three.

Stream Upload on Amazon Prime Video.

Gen V (2023-)

Gen V – Official Redband Trailer | Prime Video

With a second season confirmed, but no launch date yet (likely sometime in 2025), you have time to catch up on season one of Gen V if you haven’t seen it yet. A spinoff of The Boys, the satirical superhero series follows a group of students in a university where they are trained to become the next batch of superheroes. These aren’t admirable heroes, however. The real superheroes, who possess various unique powers, are managed by an evil corporation that uses them to further its interests.

Golden Boy wears a light blue suit in Gen V.
Brooke Palmer / Prime Video

Gen V is like a teen drama mixed with plenty of violence, gore, and scenes that will make you wince for more reasons than one. While the show stands on its own, it ties nicely with the storylines in The Boys. If you haven’t watched that show yet, start with seasons 1 through 3 of The Boys, then check out season 1 of Gen V before returning for season 4 of The Boys to get the full, thematic story. For those who aren’t easily grossed out, Gen V has clever themes that mirror real-life social and political situations beneath its bloody surface.

Stream Gen V on Amazon Prime Video.

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Fallout (2024-)

The Ghoul with his head down in a cowboy hat on Fallout.
Amazon Prime Video

If you’re loving Ella Purnell in her new series Sweetpea and enjoyed her in Yellowjackets, you’ll appreciate her performance in Fallout, a postapocalyptic drama based on the popular video game franchise. Even if you know nothing about the game or the story, Fallout beautifully weaves action and storylines in a desolate world with humor that anyone can enjoy.

The story follows Purnell’s character, Lucy, who emerges from an underground fallout bunker where most humans reside following an apocalyptic nuclear war above ground. She has never ventured out, but with her father kidnapped and possibly in trouble, she is desperate to rescue him.

Fallout – Official Trailer | Prime Video

She meets friends and foes along the way, notably a grotesque, disfigured bounty hunter known as The Ghoul (brilliantly portrayed by Walton Goggins). It’s action-packed through all eight episodes and will have you at the edge of your seat.

Stream Fallout on Amazon Prime Video.

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Them (2021-)

A woman hugs a child tight, both looking terrified in Them: The Scare.
Quantrell Colbert / Amazon Prime Video

The fall season and horror go hand in hand, largely thanks to Halloween. If you’re looking for a creepy show to dive into as you celebrate the holiday, Them is a good choice. The first season, called Them: Covenant, is set during the Second Great Migration in the mid-20th century. A Black family moves from North Carolina to East Compton in the Los Angeles area, where they are now living in an all-white neighborhood. But when evil forces attack, they must fight back. The second season, called Them: The Scare, fast-forwards to 1991 and follows a detective working the case of a gruesome murder.

While Them is especially graphic, the stories, talented cast, and intelligent background social commentary make it a must-watch. The second season was met with much better reviews than the first, earning an impressive perfect 100% Rotten Tomatoes critic score.

Stream Them on Amazon Prime Video.

Downton Abbey (2010-2015)

A man and woman walk hand-in-hand as a crowd looks on in Downton Abbey.
ITV

Honor the recent death of Maggie Smith by watching, or rewatching, Downton Abbey. The British historical drama is set in the early 20th century and focuses on the aristocratic Crawley family and their domestic servants. While fictional, the show integrates real-life happenings into the plot, including the sinking of the Titanic, the First World War, and the Spanish Influenza pandemic. But there are also stories involving torrid affairs, familial discord, and class disparities.

Earning numerous awards throughout its run, Downton Abbey spawned two film adaptations, with a third reportedly in the works as well. If you love and miss shows like Bridgerton and you’re looking for something to fill that void this fall, Downton Abbey is a good option.

Stream Downtown Abbey on Amazon Prime Video.

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