Tech Wrap Jan 21: OnePlus, BenQ gaming monitor, Netflix mobile app revamp
OnePlus India CEO dismisses claims of shut down. BenQ launched a new gaming monitor. Netflix plans mobile app revamp. WhatsApp iOS group chat history. Sony Bravia goes to TCL. Xbox cloud gaming
BS Tech New Delhi OnePlus has issued a statement clarifying that the claims doing the rounds in the market that it will soon be shut down are false. OnePlus India CEO, Robin Liu, took to X (formerly Twitter) to say that the operations here continue as normal. This statement was in response to a recent report from Android Headlines that claimed OPPO is dismantling OnePlus by shutting down its headquarters, slashing workforce, communication teams, and upcoming products.
BenQ has launched the MOBIUZ EX271UZ gaming monitor with game-aware colour and tone optimisation technology. This 27-inch gaming monitor sports a QD-OLED panel with a 240Hz refresh rate. The company positions the MOBIUZ EX271UZ as the world’s first “Game Art Monitor.”
Netflix is reportedly preparing a major redesign of its mobile app to increase daily engagement. According to a TechCrunch report, the company outlined plans to refresh its mobile interface during the latest earnings call, confirming that the new interface is in the works and will roll out later this year. A key part of the update will be short-form, vertical video feeds.
WhatsApp is reportedly rolling out a new feature on iOS that will allow users to share recent group chat history with new members when they are added to a group. According to a report by WABetaInfo, the feature has been spotted in the latest WhatsApp beta for iOS version 26.2.10.73. The new option is designed to help new group members understand recent conversations that took place before they joined the group. Until now, users joining a group could not see earlier messages and often had to ask others to explain what they missed.
Sony has agreed to hand over control of its TV and home audio business to TCL through a new joint venture. Under the plan, TCL will own 51 per cent of the new company, while Sony will keep a 49 per cent stake. The new venture is expected to begin operations in April 2027, after regulatory approvals and final agreements are completed.
Microsoft might be planning to release its ad-supported cloud gaming plan more widely. According to a report by Tom’s Guide, some users have started seeing notifications on the Xbox app that say “1 hour of ad-supported play time per session.” It remains unclear when this will officially be rolled out. However, it would be safe to assume that it may happen soon, as the notification has started to surface for it.
Some YouTube viewers and creators have noticed that certain custom subtitles — especially colourful or stylised captions — have disappeared from videos. According to YouTube, this is not a permanent change, but a temporary measure after those caption formats started causing playback problems on the platform. The issue mainly affects videos that use special caption file types such as SRV3 and YTT.
Spotify is reportedly testing a page match feature that would sync your reading progress of a paper book with its audiobook and vice versa. According to a report by Android Authority, this feature will work by scanning the page a user is currently reading through the device camera and using optical character recognition (OCR) to identify passages that are then matched to specific timestamps in the audiobook.
OpenAI on Tuesday said it is rolling out age prediction on ChatGPT globally, to determine whether an account is likely owned by a minor, as the artificial intelligence startup prepares to allow adult content on the popular chatbot.
Google has reportedly started testing Gemini in the Chrome browser on Chromebooks, months after the feature became available on Mac and Windows. According to a report by 9To5Google, the AI-powered feature is now beginning to appear on select ChromeOS devices through the latest Canary builds. This marks the first step toward bringing Gemini’s browser-based tools to Chromebook users.
 "Tech Wrap Jan 21: OnePlus, BenQ gaming monitor, Netflix mobile app revamp")
