World News: Talking Tech: How your smartphone can help navigate changing COVID guidelines

Saturday, August 7

As the delta variant sweeps across the U.S., guidance on what Americans should do to protect themselves and others remains fluid.

Unvaccinated Americans are urged to get their COVID-19 shot, while governments and businesses update rules for employees and customers, including requiring them to get vaccinated.

That opens the door to a couple questions. Do I have to carry my COVID vaccine card everywhere? What businesses or organizations will require me to get vaccinated?

This is where your smartphone can play a key role.

Keep that physical COVID vaccine card at home. Instead, keep a copy of it on your smartphone. You can take a picture of it, scan it, or use an app that holds your vaccine information.

Meanwhile, if you're uncertain whether a local restaurant has tweaked its pandemic requirements, Yelp is offering a solution. The recommendation app will now allow businesses to note where proof of vaccination is required or whether their employees have been vaccinated.

This might be the beginning. We could see more tech tools become available to help navigate changing restrictions, and Talking Tech will be here to provide the latest.

What else happened in tech?

► Back to school season. Are you a parent hoping to dial back the time your kids spend on screens as schools prepare to open again? I asked experts and parents for their advice.

► Spotify for $0.99? The music streaming giant is testing out varying plans for users, including one for $0.99 a month that includes ads but unlimited skips of songs.

► RIP Fleets. Guess you could say interest in Twitter's disappearing messages feature was ... fleeting.

► TikTok creators fight for credit. The social media app has cultivated its own universe of celebrities, which is why creators of original dances and other content are pushing to make sure they receive proper credit.

Game break

More updates on the story about Activision Blizzard, the video game publisher facing a lawsuit from the state of California over sexual harassment and equal pay violations: the head of its Blizzard Entertainment studio – which works on games such as World of Warcraft and Overwatch – has stepped down.