Today’s policies build on the company’s decision to ban political advertising from its platform in 2018. As before, you won’t see political ads on Pinterest, nor will the company show any ads when you search for general election terms like “polling place.” The same goes for when and if you decide to search for pins related to Donald Trump and Joe Biden. “We believe that’s a better and more inspiring experience for everyone,” Pinterest said.

Users aren’t the only ones who will benefit from Pinterest’s new policies. The company will give its more than 2,200 employees eight hours of paid time off to use toward civic engagement. They can take advantage of that time to do things like vote and work at a polling station. The move follows similar initiatives from other tech companies like Apple and Twitter.

“We believe participating in the democratic process can be inspiring, and we want Pinterest to be a place where people can find credible information that inspires them to participate fully in their communities,” the company said.

More so than some other online platforms, Pinterest has historically done a good job of combating misinformation on its platform. When the coronavirus pandemic first hit, the company was quick to put credible information, from sources like the World Health Organization, in front of users.

Pinterest

Pinterest’s augmented reality Try On feature, through which you can virtually try on makeup via the Lens function, supports skin tone searches too. That way, you can see how different products look on people with skin tones similar to your own.

Try On now includes more than 10,000 “shoppable shades that are discoverable across 48 million beauty pins,” according to Pinterest. NARS, Cle de Peau and Thrive Causemetics are among the latest brands whose products are available for you to virtually test out though Try On.

Along with those updates, Pinterest just expanded skin tone searches beyond the US to the UK, Canada, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand.

A spokesperson acknowledged to OneZero that policy-violating material would “sometimes appear” in results, even after it asked to have the content removed entirely. The company stuck to its emphasis on blocking search results, though, and said it “encourage[s]” people to content in addition to taking advice from “outside experts.” The representative added that it didn’t want to be a “go-to place” for politics and was trying to curb “adversarial behavior.”

Pinterest’s approach contrasts sharply with social networks like Facebook and Twitter, which typically remove offending content outright rather than hide searches. They have their own share of problems, though, including easier searches for offending material. Moderation appears to be a challenge for numerous social networks, then, and no one strategy appears to be bulletproof.

If you woke up this morning ready to listen to your Release Radar mix on Spotify, well, we have some bad news — at least for iPhone users. The Spotify app for iOS has been completely down for much of the morning. Spotify acknowledged the issue on its support Twitter page, and the reliable Down Detector site also shows major issues. However, by 11AM ET, Facebook’s developer issues page said the issue had been resolved. While the app was crashing hard on both an test iPhone and iPad, the desktop and Android apps seem unaffected.

It’s not just Spotify, either — TikTok, Tinder, Pinterest and a number of other apps were also having issues this morning. What’s the common link between these all these apps? Some some are speculating it’s a problem with Facebook’s iOS SDK. Since Spotify, TikTok, PInterest and Tinder all offer Facebook logins, any problems with that SDK could cause trouble with the apps in question. That’s true even if you don’t use Facebook to log in. Indeed, the very same issue caused Spotify and a host of other apps to go offline just about two months ago.

Pinterest is back on its shopping flex with a new “Shop” tab in Lens camera search results. From today, you’ll be able to tap the camera in search bar, snap or upload a photo and then see the Shop tab with a feed of Pins based on products identified in that image. Helpfully, it’ll only bring up items that are in stock, so there’s no disappointment in finding the perfect item only to discover you can’t actually get it. Every product Pin will link directly to the checkout page on the retailer’s site, too.

The Shop tab in Lens is the latest in a long line of features designed to make shopping on the platform easier. This particular addition builds on a tool rolled out in April, which brings up a feed of Pins based on search terms, and it complements the launch of the Pinterest app on Shopify, designed to make it easier for merchants to sell on the platform. According to Pinterest, around half the items snapped through Lens belong to the fashion or home décor category, so it makes sense that they should be more easily shoppable.   

This means Shopify merchants get access to distribution across Pinterest, as well as reporting and results tracking. Importantly, it’s a free service, so indie sellers ad big brands alike can get organic promotion without spending a penny. Of course, there is a paid option too, which lets merchants promote their pins as a paid ad, bringing customers directly into their brands online store. But Pinterest shoppers are generally pretty savvy and could likely find their own way there anyway, which makes this is a genuinely useful feature for everyone — not just those with spare marketing budget.

This is the latest push for Pinterest to drive shopping on its platform. Just last month it made things easier for pinners to buy what they see, while last year saw an explosion of activity from the company, including shopping-orientated Lens updates, a refreshed take on digital storefronts and the hiring of former Walmart CTO Jeremy King as head of engineering. No doubt there are more initiatives in the pipeline.

The Pinterest app on Shopify is available now for merchants in the US and Canada, and will go live in countries where Pinterest ads are available — including Australia, the UK, France, Germany, Italy and Spain — in the coming weeks.

Getting prepped

While virtual hangouts shouldn’t require much more planning than IRL get-togethers, they do require a different type of prep. Instead of loading up on snacks for your guests, you’ll need to make sure you have the right gear at the ready.

It sounds obvious, but double check that everyone knows when you plan on starting, and what apps they need ahead of time. You don’t want to keep the whole group waiting because you forgot your Zoom login, or didn’t realize one of your green-bubble friends doesn’t have FaceTime. If you can, send out calendar invites with relevant links and detailed instructions ahead of time.

You’ll also want to think about lighting and how you’re going to set up your camera. Your friends likely aren’t expecting a professional-level setup, but everyone will have a better time if they can actually see you. It’s worth taking a few minutes before your virtual hangout sesh to scope out where you’ll place your laptop or tablet so that you’re in the frame as much as possible. If you’ll be using a phone, make sure you have somewhere stable to prop it up. If you plan on sitting more than a few inches away from your camera, try to use a headset with a mic.

Also consider whether you’ll need more than one device. For example, if you’re going to be sharing your screen, you’ll likely need a separate laptop or a phone if you want people to be able to see your face (just don’t forget to mute one of them).

Finally, don’t forget to stay charged. Lengthy video calls will drain your battery very, very quickly so if you can’t keep your device plugged in for the whole call, at least have a charger handy.

Remote movie nights

In some ways, movie nights are the simplest kind of remote gathering to set up. Netflix and other streaming services are basically ubiquitous, so most of us already have the basics in place. The downside is that Netflix and most other major streaming platforms don’t have their built-in multi-person viewing features, so arranging remote viewing parties does take a few extra steps.

Enter Netflix Party, a new Chrome extension that helps groups of friends sync up a Netflix stream. It’s pretty simple – at least in theory. You install the extension, and send a link to your friends and Netflix Party will keep everyone’s streams timed up. There’s also a chat feature, so yoou and your friends can swap messages while you watch. But, since Netflix Party only works with Chrome, you’ll either be stuck watching on your laptop, or you’ll need to cast your screen or connect to your TV with an HDMI cable.

Netflix Party has recently had some technical issues, though, so you might need a backup plan just in case. And, the extension only works for Netflix, so if you want to watch something on another service, you’ll have to find another workaround.

If that’s the case, you can try the workaround a friend and I came up with while improvising a movie night with our partners, when we opted to manually sync up our feeds based on the timestamp. This takes a little more finessing, so it might not be ideal for larger groups, but it’s totally doable, and doesn’t require you to connect your laptop to your TV.

Once synced, we used an iPad with Google Hangouts open with the camera pointed at me and my partner on the couch and our friends did the same. This way, we were able to watch the movie and also chat with each other. This setup may not be ideal if you’re watching a plot-heavy movie that requires you to follow along closely, but it was a lot of fun while watching 47 Meters Down.

Game Night

Pulling off a game night can take a bit more planning and setup, but the extra effort is worth the payoff.

If you’re mainly looking for a low-key way to kill some time with a few friends with minimal effort, Houseparty, the group video chat app popular with teens, might be the best option. It has several games built-in, including Heads Up, trivia, a Pictionary-like drawing game, and something called Chips and Guac, a word association game similar to Apples to Apples or Cards Against Humanity.

Houseparty works with groups of up to eight, and the games tend to be a bit more fun with slightly larger groups. The downside is that the app’s interface can be a bit confusing, and the game selection is limited. Heads Up only has one deck available for free (you can pay for additional decks), and the trivia questions are only okay. The drawing game, called Quick Draw!, is basic but fun, especially if you’re willing to get a little creative. Chips and Guac is amusing, but you might be a bit lost if you’re outside the app’s core tween/teen demographic.

If you want casual games that will keep you entertained for hours at a time, some of the best I’ve found so far are from Jackbox, which adapt very easily to remote play. One of its more popular games, the pictionary-like, Drawful 2, is especially fun (and is temporarily free). The company also offers several “party packs” with a variety of games.

Though each is slightly different, they are well suited to multi-person remote play. One player “hosts” the game — the host is the only person who needs to purchase the game — and others join in via their smartphone browsers. (Again, you’ll want to use a separate device, like a laptop or tablet, in order to play while on a video call. Jackbox has also published a detailed guide on how to play its games remotely on various platforms, including Steam, Discord, and video conferencing services.)

And, if you’re already tired of these options, you shouldn’t be afraid to try something totally different. Friends have also reported joining remote poker nights and elaborate pub quiz-style trivia tournaments. One Twitter user told me she arranged an impromptu game night with a few friends around the New York Times crossword puzzle. Someone else rigged a game of Scattergories.

If you’re willing to get creative — and be flexible with rules — very few games should be off limits entirely.

Hosting a dinner party

Eating with friends is always better than eating alone, and another option is to get a group of friends together for a virtual dinner party. The great thing about this is you can put as much or as little effort into it as you want. At the extremely low-effort end, simply agree on a time and video chat platform (again, calendar invites go a long way), and everyone can eat dinner together in front off their cameras.

If you’re feeling ambitious, you can get everyone more involved in the process. Ask your friends for help planning menus — a shared Google Doc or Pinterest board is a good place to start — and each participant can volunteer to cook a dish of their choice. Or, group members can “assign” each other recipes for an extra challenge.

After everyone’s cooked their meal, fire up the video chat* to show off your dish. Even though you won’t be able to physically share your food, you’ll still be able to see how each turned out, and watch as everyone digs in. And the fact that everyone took a role in the meal prep will immediately liven things up.

A friend who recently gathered a group of friends together for a dinner party recommended Zoom, rather than FaceTime or Hangouts, as Zoom’s gallery view was easier to manage with a larger group than Hangouts or FaceTime.

When you just want to jam

If your hangouts usually involve listening to a lot of music, then you’ll need something a little different than the typical video chat setup.

One of the simplest ways to get started is with Watch2gether, a free service that enables you to sync up videos in a chat room with your friends. Anyone can make a room — no account required — and the service supports YouTube, Vimeo, Twitch, Instagram and Soundcloud and there’s also a Chrome extension if you want to play music from a non-supported site.

Anyone who joins the room can add videos to the room’s queue, and there’s a built-in chat feature, with webcam support. It’s not the slickest interface, but it’s extremely easy to set up and your friends won’t need to fuss with an account in order to join.

If Spotify is your music platform of choice, JQBX is one of the best tools for building collaborative playlists with your friends. The app allows you to create “rooms” where you and your friends can build playlists and listen to songs together in real time. There’s also a built-in chat feature and room members can vote on which songs they like.

However, since it’s a Spotify-powered service, your friends will need an account to join. And if they don’t pay for a premium membership, they won’t be able to listen along, though they can still contribute tracks to the playlist. And, as my colleague Aaron Souppouris pointed out, listening to a lot of new music through JQBX could mess with your personalized Spotify recommendations.

Unlike Watch2gether, there’s no support for video, so you won’t be able to actually see your friends while you listen, though the chat and voting features make it feel interactive.

Images: NetflixParty (Chrome tab); Houseparty (group video chat); Jackbox Games (Drawful 2); JQBX (Spotify)

With the launch, Pinterest joins dozens of other brands and platforms offering similar virtual beauty offerings. IL MAKIAGE rolled out its shade-matching algorithm last year, while YouTube and Amazon both now offer similar try-on features. L’Oreal, Benefit and Neutrogena are also on board.

Unlike some other tools, though, Pinterest says it wants shoppers to celebrate their “authentic selves” and as such, Try On doesn’t come with any skin smoothing or image altering effects. It’s also integrated the tool with its skin tone range feature, so Pinners can see similar lip shades on skin tones that match their own.

Pinterest is also rolling out a new sorting feature that gives you a way to sort by “Most Reactions” and “Most Comments,” helping you quickly find the most popular (or unpopular) ideas. In the future, the new feature will even make it possible to sort by Pinner. The social network also promises to release a redesigned space for communicating with collaborators right on the group board. You can already start conversations in the activity tab, so we’re guessing Pinterest is giving it an overhaul or introducing a completely new way to chat in the coming weeks.