Hollis Johnson/Business Insider
The Google Pixel phone will get a new AR feature for maps.
Good morning! This is the tech news you need to know this Wednesday.
- Google is building parental controls into Android that will let you limit how much time your kids spend on each app. The company previously offered such features as a standalone app called Family Link.
- Google unveiled a new augmented reality feature for Maps, but it's only coming to Pixel phones for now. Using the phone's camera, Google Maps will identify your location and place signs and arrows to show you where you need to go.
- Google is "absolutely" thinking about foldable phones, the company's Pixel chief Mario Queiroz said. For foldable phones to resonate with consumers, device makers need to come up with more compelling use cases, said Queiroz.
- Samsung is cancelling pre-orders of the $2,000 Galaxy Fold if it doesn't ship by the end of May. The device was scheduled to come out in late April, but when several review units given to the media broke, the Korean smartphone giant pushed back the release date indefinitely.
- Uber and Lyft drivers are striking in over a dozen cities around the world on Wednesday. Many drivers say that their pay has consistently fallen in recent years and that they're unhappy with their status as independent contractors.
- Lyft is partnering with Waymo to launch robo-taxis in Arizona. The cars are fully autonomous, according to Waymo, but they'll still employ safety drivers to take over if there are any hiccups during rides.
- Lyft's CFO said 2019 will be its "peak loss" year. Lyft reported its first quarterly earnings that showed accelerating growth in Q1 but also continued losses.
- A former Netflix creative director got $1.6 million from big names in tech for a canned water startup called Liquid Death. The funding was led by Science Inc, and joined by other tech notables including Dollar Shave Club founder & CEO Michael Dubin, Twitter co-founder Biz Stone, and Away co-founder Jen Rubio.
- Tesla cars can now figure out which parts need to be replaced and order new ones. "Our cars can keep tabs on certain components to let you know if they need replacing and order parts ahead of your next service visit," Tesla tweeted.
- Amazon opened its first cashierless store in New York, but customers can still pay in cash after a backlash. The retailer faced backlash for its entirely cash-free stores, which critics said discriminated against customers who don't have a bank account.
Have an Amazon Alexa device? Now you can hear 10 Things in Tech each morning. Just search for "Business Insider" in your Alexa's flash briefing settings. You can also subscribe to this newsletter here - just tick "10 Things in Tech You Need to Know."
Want to dive a bit further into the world of private companies? Build out your research toolkit with Crunchbase Pro. Sign up today for 20% off with the code CrunchbaseBIExclusive.