News

Yango App Now Alerts Muslim Drivers To Prayer Times

The latest update caters to the unique needs of Muslim drivers across several MENA countries, including the UAE and Morocco.

Published

2 years ago

April 2, 2024

Nour Nasir

Yango

Ride-hailing platform Yango has added a new feature to its app aimed at helping drivers stick to their prayer schedules throughout the Muslim calendar. In addition, the update will also facilitate the distribution of Iftar boxes during the important Ramadan fast. The latest feature is available to all Yango drivers in the UAE, Morocco, and several other locations.

Launched during the current holy month of Ramadan, the new app features allow drivers to seamlessly integrate their work schedules with religious duties, using high-tech mapping and smart routing to identify the nearest mosques and plot routes even in unfamiliar locations.

yango app muslim prayer times

Within the Yango app settings, drivers will receive 15-minute reminders before prayer times, with notifications automatically muted when prayers commence. The app also points drivers in the direction of the Qibla and allows prayer times to be calculated according to the user’s preferred Islamic convention.

Islam Abdul Karim, General Manager of Yango in the Gulf Coast Countries, explained: “The introduction of the new mode for drivers, permanent beyond the Ramadan period, is a step forward in our ongoing effort to create a more inclusive and supportive environment for partners’ drivers. It enriches their work-life balance, blending advanced technology with local customs and practices. We are keen to not only enhance their daily experience but also set standards for cultural consideration within the tech industry”.

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As a token of appreciation for the hard work and dedication of its drivers during Ramadan, Yango has also set up a dedicated zone to distribute special Iftar boxes, ensuring drivers on the road can break their fast.

Yango’s updated driver app joins a full suite of services from the company, including Yango Maps, Yango Play, Yango Tech, Arabic AI voice assistant Yasmina, and many more.

News

Samsung And Spotify Offer Free Premium Deal In MENA

Nearly seven in ten streams in the region come from 18-to-34-year-olds — the audience Samsung is hoping to entice into its ecosystem.

Published

11 hours ago

August 7, 2026

Nour Nasir

Samsung

Samsung has announced a partnership with Spotify spanning the Middle East, North Africa, and Türkiye, bundling Spotify Premium with select devices across its ecosystem. The headline offer — up to four months of Premium for free — is a first for the region.

Customers in Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Türkiye who buy any OLED or 98-inch television, or any Galaxy S or Z series mobile device, get four months of Spotify Premium. The offer, tiered by market and device, is available at retail and on Samsung.com, and redeemed through the Samsung Promotion and Samsung Members apps.

For Samsung, the strategy is less about free music than about lock-in. The Korean tech giant’s pitch is continuity: a track starts on a Galaxy smartphone through Galaxy Buds on the commute, moves to a Samsung TV and soundbar in the living room, and stays controllable from a Galaxy Watch. The more seamlessly music travels between those devices, the harder it becomes to swap any one of them for a rival’s.

“Technology should bring people closer to the things they love, and few things connect people the way music does,” said Omar Saheb, Regional VP of Marketing and Online Business at Samsung Electronics MENA. The partnership, he added, gives customers “a genuine reason to choose Samsung for the experience, not only the product”.

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For subscribers, Premium brings the usual package: ad-free listening, offline downloads, richer audio quality on Galaxy Buds and Samsung sound devices, and Jam, which lets friends build a shared queue.

“At Spotify, we are always working to make every listening moment feel more personal, meaningful, and worth it,” said Rami Jamal, Head of Partnerships at Spotify for South Asia, Middle East, and Africa.

The demographics go a long way to explaining the strategy. Across MENA, Türkiye, and Pakistan, nearly seven in ten Spotify streams come from listeners aged 18 to 34, according to the company — precisely the audience Samsung wants inside its hardware ecosystem before buying habits harden.