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Google has made a small but important change to Google Maps, no longer allowing you to book a ride sharing service like Lyft or Uber directly from within the app.  The change appears to be recent and is reflected in the support pages for the feature.  Now, instead of being able to book from within Google Maps, you have a link to go to the ride share apps from the providers.

The feature got a lot of hype when it was launched early last year and a way to prevent users from having to move around from app-to-app to book a car to pick them up.  You could also see ride share options to a destination you picked in Maps, such as a restaurant, from your location.

The latest update to Gmail for Android is making its way out to the Play Store and it brings a new Tip setting for users.  The new build is version 8.6 for those keeping score at home and when you get the update, you will have a new Inbox Tip inside settings for your Gmail account.

The setting is enabled by default and when you tap it, you see the Unsubscribe tips.  With this turned on, you will get occasional tips to unsubscribe to bulk email that you rarely read.

One of the most frequently updated apps from Microsoft is their Android launcher, Microsoft Launcher.  A new build, version 4.10 for those keeping score at home, has been released to the Play Store today and it brings some new features and fixes.

The biggest news is the support of a new family safety feature that is part of the Family Account support.  If you remember, last week Microsoft Edge, the Redmond company’s browser, gained support for Family Accounts as a way to regulate sites your children can or cannot visit.  This addition to Launcher allows you to keep track of your child’s whereabouts and their app activities from the family card on the feed within the launcher.

Just a few days after announcing that the Sony Xperia Home launcher is going into maintenance mode, the company has now posted in their Google+ Beta Community site that there is a new Xperia Home launcher in the works.

The news came from Sony’s Erika Prymus who is a member of the launcher’s development team.  In a comment replying to the original post announcing the discontinuation, Erika points out that a new launcher is in the works and that is why the old version has been discontinued.

Sony Comment on Xperia Launcher

So the question becomes, why discontinue in the first place?