In November 2023, some innovations and changes will come into force in the area of technology and digital. TECHBOOK gives an overview of the changes coming in the current month.
In November, consumers will have to prepare for several changes, all of which relate to the digital environment. For example, the streaming provider Disney+ is changing its subscriptions and raising prices as a result, online support is being discontinued for various FIFA games and cell broadcasting is finally being made available for older cell phones. TECHBOOK summarizes the upcoming changes and reveals what’s new in November.
Cell broadcast also for older cell phones
In the past few months there have already been two warning days on which all smartphones rang almost simultaneously. The background was a test of the so-called cell broadcast, with which the disaster services want to warn of storms, fires or other threatening situations nationwide without an additional app. Until now, Cell Broadcast was not available or only available to a limited extent on some older cell phones, meaning their owners could not be reached in an emergency. The reason: The system uses four-digit IDs, which many old phones from Nokia or Ericsson cannot process. You need three-digit IDs.
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The Federal Network Agency (BNetzA) had already revised the technical specifications for cell broadcast so that older cell phones can also receive the warning messages. The warning messages have been expanded to include the three-digit message identifier 919, which is expected to start sending on November 6th. However, news is only available in German.
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Disney+ price increase
Following the competition, Disney+ is now also adjusting its subscription structure. What’s new from November is that you have the choice between different subscription models. Until now, the provider only offered access. The premium account costs 11.99 euros per month and gives you access to 4K and Dolby Atmos, which was previously offered by the subscription offered alone. The new standard account still costs 8.99 euros, but only offers Full HD and Dolby Surround. In both, content can be downloaded for offline use and parallel streaming on two devices is still possible. Also new is the standard subscription with advertising, which costs 5.99 euros per month. Here, Disney+ not only shows advertisements, but there is also no download function.
Fifa games lose online game mode
The game developer Electronic Arts has announcedto turn off online features for some popular FIFA titles. From November 6th, it will no longer be possible to compete against other players online in the games Fifa 18, 19, 20 and 21. Owners of the games can then only play in solo player mode. All platforms are affected by the server shutdown (Nintendo Switch, Xbox, PlayStation and PC).
Also read: Is the big boom in mobile games already over?
Innovations in passports and identity cards come into force
Anyone who needs a new ID card has previously had to go to the office twice and make an appointment – for the application and also for collection. At least the latter should be made easier for identification documents, which include an online ID. When picking up the new identification documents, consumers currently have to sign in the office that they have received the pin letter for the corresponding online ID. In the future, this will also be possible with one click on the Internet. You can get the ID card itself without an appointment at one of the new ID card collection machines, which work similarly to post offices. Users receive the code necessary to open the compartment at the machine from the relevant office.