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Apps, Global IT News, Global Security News, iOS app, Media & Entertainment, Netflix, streaming services

Netflix adds a convenient feature for iOS users to download an entire TV season at once

January 29, 2025

Netflix announced on Wednesday that it’s giving iOS users a new feature that allows them to download an entire season of their favorite TV show with one tap. The feature first became available to Android users. The Season Download button is available in the Netflix app, located next to the Share button on a show’s…

DeepSeek’s app becomes unavailable on Apple’s and Google’s app stores in Italy

January 29, 2025

Hours after Italian authorities requested information from DeepSeek about how the company handles user data, the Chinese AI startup’s app is no longer available in Apple’s App Store and Google’s Play Store. The app has claimed the top spot in the download charts in multiple countries, including in the U.S. where it is at the…

ChatGPT’s mobile users are 85% male, report says

January 29, 2025

The AI bubble hasn’t burst yet, at least when it comes to consumer spending on AI apps. Led by OpenAI’s ChatGPT, overall spending on AI apps jumped to $1.42 billion in 2024, according to app analytics firm Appfigures. This marks a 274% increase from 2023 (the app launched in May of that year). Among tens…

DeepSeek reaches No. 1 on US Play Store

January 29, 2025

Chinese AI lab DeepSeek’s Android app has taken the No. 1 spot on the Google Play Store, days after the chatbot app clinched the top spot on the App Store. © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only.

Bookshop.org challenges Amazon with new e-book platform

January 28, 2025

Indie bookstore backer Bookshop.org launched an e-book platform on Tuesday, making it easier for readers to buy e-books without padding Jeff Bezos’s pockets. For years, Amazon’s chokehold and sway in the publishing industry have been so strong that authors and booksellers have accused the company of operating a monopoly. Amazon is dominant in the sale…

Automattic and others back Openvibe, an app that’s unifying the open social web

January 28, 2025

Openvibe’s clever app that integrates multiple open social networks including Bluesky, Mastodon, Nostr, and Threads, just got a boost toward its future development. The company on Tuesday announced that it has received outside investment of $800,000 in a round led by Czech Founders VC, which includes backing from WordPress.com and Tumblr parent company, Automattic, as…

Waymo is reportedly building a charity ‘tipping’ feature into its robotaxi app

January 28, 2025

Alphabet-owned autonomous vehicle company Waymo might be planning to test a feature that will allow robotaxi riders to add a “tip” that will go to the charity of their choice after a ride. Jane Manchun Wong, a security researcher who recently hacked the display dome on top of a Waymo vehicle, found the new tip…

Google Play adds a ‘Verified’ badge for trusted VPN apps

January 28, 2025

Google Play is rolling out “Verified” badges for select VPN apps to make it easier for users to find trust services. Apps with the badge prioritize user privacy and safety, Google said in a blog post on Tuesday. The badge indicates that the developers of an app have adhered to the Play safety and security…

Reelo stands out among the apps building a ‘TikTok for Bluesky’

January 28, 2025

There are a number of projects now underway that are focused on developing a video-first app for the open source social network Bluesky. However, one stands out from the rest: An upcoming app called Reelo isn’t building on top of the Bluesky social network, as so many others are, but is building on the underlying…

Microsoft tests ‘scareware blocker’ for Edge that uses computer vision to detect scams

January 28, 2025

Microsoft is rolling out a new tool dubbed “scareware blocker,” which uses machine learning and computer vision to identify a very pervasive type of online scam. “Scareware” has blighted the web almost since its inception, often in the form of fake antivirus software that claims to have detected a non-existent threat on a user’s machine.…

Google Maps will soon rename Gulf of Mexico to ‘Gulf of America’

January 27, 2025

Google will rename the Gulf of Mexico and Alaska’s Denali mountain in Google Maps once a federal mapping database reflects changes ordered by the Trump Administration, the company announced Monday. Google is complying with an executive order issued last week by President Donald Trump that changed the names of several American landmarks. The executive order…

Alibaba’s Qwen team releases AI models that can control PCs and phones

January 27, 2025

Chinese AI lab DeepSeek might be getting the bulk of the tech industry’s attention this week. But one of its top domestic rivals, Alibaba, isn’t sitting idly by. Alibaba’s Qwen team on Monday released a new family of AI models, Qwen2.5-VL, that can perform a number of text and image analysis tasks. The models can…

DeepSeek displaces ChatGPT as the App Store’s top app

January 27, 2025

The mobile app for DeepSeek, a Chinese AI lab, skyrocketed to the number-one spot in app stores around the globe this weekend, topping the U.S.-based AI chatbot, ChatGPT. On iOS, DeepSeek is currently the No. 1 free app in the U.S. App Store and 51 other countries, according to mobile app analytics firm Appfigures. The…

Bluesky adds video to user profiles

January 27, 2025

Social network Bluesky is doubling down on video. After it added a new TikTok-like custom video feed last week in the wake of the U.S. ban on the popular video app (now on pause), the company on Monday announced it’s adding a new video tab to Bluesky user profiles. The tab will allow people to…

Meta AI can now use your Facebook and Instagram data to personalize its responses

January 27, 2025

Meta says that it is rolling out improvements to Meta AI, its cross-platform chatbot, including the ability have the bot “remember” details from conversations. In a post on Meta’s official blog, the company said that, in chats with Meta AI on Facebook, Messenger, and WhatsApp for iOS and Android in the U.S. and Canada, users can…

Trump administration reportedly negotiating an Oracle takeover of TikTok

January 25, 2025

The Trump administration is negotiating a deal that would see Oracle take over TikTok alongside new U.S. investors, according to a report in NPR. Lawmakers passed a bill last year forcing Chinese parent company ByteDance to either sell TikTok or see it banned in the U.S. The app briefly went dark before the law took…

In motion to dismiss, chatbot platform Character AI claims it is protected by the First Amendment

January 24, 2025

Character AI, a platform that lets users engage in roleplay with AI chatbots, has filed a motion to dismiss a case brought against it by the parent of a teen who committed suicide, allegedly after becoming hooked on the company’s technology. In October, Megan Garcia filed a lawsuit against Character AI in the U.S. District…

Open source alternatives to Instagram, TikTok, and WhatsApp raise funds on Kickstarter

January 24, 2025

The developer behind Pixelfed, Loops, and Sup, open source alternatives to Instagram, TikTok, and WhatsApp, respectively, is now raising funds on Kickstarter to fuel the apps’ further development. The trio is part of the growing open social web, also known as the fediverse, powered by the same ActivityPub protocol used by X alternative Mastodon. The…

iOS 18 hits 68% adoption across iPhones, per new Apple figures

January 24, 2025

Apple released new figures Friday, highlighting user adoption of iOS 18. Released in public form back in September 2024, the mobile operating system is now installed on 68% of compatible devices. That number jumps to 78% on iPhones released in the last four years. As for the remaining iPhones out there, 19% are running iOS…

US users dumped RedNote after Trump paused the TikTok ban

January 24, 2025

In the days leading up to the TikTok ban in the U.S. on Sunday, U.S. users flooded the Chinese app RedNote, which offered a similar experience to their favorite short-form video app. The app, which is listed in the U.S. App Store under its Chinese name Xiaohongshu, quickly became the No. 1 free app in…

Threads is testing ads in the U.S. and Japan

January 24, 2025

Meta’s X rival Threads said Friday that it is now testing ads with select brands in the U.S. and Japan. Instagram head Adam Mosseri said that the company will listen to feedback before expanding this experiment in other markets. “We know there will be plenty of feedback about how we should approach ads, and we…

Apple admits next-gen CarPlay is late, but still in development

January 24, 2025

Though Apple rarely misses self-imposed deadlines, it’s done so with the next-generation CarPlay. The company originally teased the update back in 2022. With this new version, CarPlay will integrate seamlessly with the instrument cluster to provide information on speed, climate control, and other car data. Apple had promised an initial rollout for a limit set…

Apple introduces a new API to support more in-app purchase formats

January 24, 2025

Apple announced on Thursday a new API called the Advanced Commerce API to support more in-app purchase formats, such as subscriptions and content add-ons. The company added that it is not changing the commission structure to support these use cases. “The App Store facilitates billions of transactions annually to help developers grow their businesses and provide a world-class…

OpenAI says it may store deleted Operator data for up to 90 days

January 23, 2025

OpenAI says that it might store chats and associated screenshots from customers who use Operator, the company’s AI “agent” tool, for up to 90 days — even after a user manually deletes them. OpenAI has a similar deleted data retention policy for ChatGPT, its AI-powered chatbot platform. However, the retention period for ChatGPT is only…

Everyone wants MrBeast on their TikTok bid, but he hasn’t committed yet

January 23, 2025

Anthropic’s new Citations feature aims to reduce AI errors

January 23, 2025

In an announcement perhaps timed to divert attention away from OpenAI’s Operator, Anthropic Thursday unveiled a new feature for its developer API called Citations, which lets devs “ground” answers from its Claude family of AI in source documents such as emails. Anthropic says Citations allows its AI models to provide detailed references to “the exact…

Threads rolls out a post scheduler, ‘markup’ feature, and more

January 23, 2025

While Meta lures TikTok creators to Instagram and Facebook with cash bonuses, its X competitor Instagram Threads is now making things easier for creators, brands, and others who need more professional tools to manage their presence on the app. On Thursday, Instagram head Adam Mosseri announced a small handful of new features coming to Threads,…

Epic brings third-party titles to its mobile game store

January 23, 2025

Epic Games is adding third-party games to its mobile app store, and helping developers cover associated iOS fees. The company is launching a free games program, and will cover the cost for all titles from developers that participate in the program on iOS or iPadOS devices. With this program, Epic will roll out new free games…

Android 16’s first beta version brings iOS-style live notifications

January 23, 2025

After releasing two developer beta versions last year, Google introduced the first public beta for Android 16 on Thursday. New features include live updates on the lock screen (like Live Activities on iOS), Advanced Professional Video (APV) codec for high-quality video recording, and a framework for developers to make their apps adaptable for different screen…

Perplexity launches an assistant for Android

January 23, 2025

AI-powered search engine Perplexity has launched an “agent,” of sorts, called Perplexity Assistant, which Perplexity says uses reasoning, search, and apps to help with daily tasks. Perplexity Assistant, which is available for Android devices as of Thursday in the Perplexity app, can take “multi-app actions,” the company says, like hailing a ride or searching for…

Brave will allow you to tune search results with upvotes and downvotes

January 23, 2025

Brave Search said Thursday that it is adding a new feature called Rerank that will allow users to tune search results by upvoting or downvoting certain websites. The feature, which will be available to all users, will appear on the top right of the search results page. When users open the panel, they will be…

Nearly 10 year later, Tumblr TV launches to all as a TikTok alternative

January 22, 2025

In 2015, the blogging site Tumblr launched a GIF discovery feature called Tumblr TV as an experimental product. Now, with the U.S. TikTok ban leaving the fate of the short-form video app uncertain, Tumblr has decided it’s finally time to launch Tumblr TV, which has since evolved to support video, to all its users as…

Nearly 10 years later, Tumblr TV launches to all as a TikTok alternative

January 22, 2025

How to delete Facebook, Instagram, and Threads

January 22, 2025

In the wake of Meta’s decision to remove its third-party fact-checking system and loosen content moderation policies, Google searches on how to delete Facebook, Instagram, and Threads have been on the rise. People who are angry with the decision accuse Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg of cozying up to the Trump administration at the expense of…

Google makes Circle to Search more helpful

January 22, 2025

At Samsung Unpacked 2025 on Wednesday, Google announced that it’s updating Circle to Search to make it easier for users to find information and get things done. The feature, which launched last year, allows people to search from anywhere on their phone by using gestures like circling, highlighting, scribbling, or tapping. Now Google is expanding…

Livestream app Favorited, a new TikTok alternative, gets backing from a16z

January 22, 2025

This month, drama unfolded across mainstream social media platforms like TikTok, which briefly went dark in the U.S. before a rapid return. Instagram recently faced backlash after ending its third-party fact-checking program. At the same time, startups like Favorited are attracting attention from investors, creators, and viewers. On Wednesday, the livestream app announced its $1.3…

Dewey launches a solution to save your TikTok favorites … just in case

January 22, 2025

TikTok is back online in the U.S. for the time being, but its future remains uncertain. While many apps have been scrambling to attract TikTok users and creators, a bookmarking backup service called Dewey has launched a solution that saves your favorite TikTok videos and allows you to access them at any time — even…

YouTube launches speed controls and high-quality audio tests for Premium users

January 22, 2025

YouTube said Wednesday that it is adding new experimental features for Premium users, including high-quality audio, faster playback speed option on mobile, and the ability to “jump ahead” on the web to skip to the more intriguing part of the video. The company routinely tests new features that users can activate from youtube.com/new. The company said…

AI apps saw over $1 billion in consumer spending in 2024

January 22, 2025

Demand for generative AI help drive consumer spending on apps to $150 billion globally in 2024, up 13% from the prior year. According to an annual “State of Mobile” report from app intelligence provider Sensor Tower (which acquired Data.ai, the original report’s author, last March), AI apps saw a surge of interest over the past…

Trump open to Elon Musk or Larry Ellison buying TikTok

January 22, 2025

President Donald Trump has said he would be open to Tesla CEO Elon Musk or Oracle chairman Larry Ellison buying TikTok as part of join venture with the U.S. government. Trump was asked at a press conference on Tuesday if he was open to “Elon buying TikTok.” He responded that he would be, and added:…

Truecaller brings real-time caller ID to iPhone users

January 21, 2025

Spotify introduces educational audio courses, starting in the UK

January 21, 2025

Spotify is expanding its streaming service to now include educational courses in addition to music, podcasts, and audiobooks. The company on Tuesday announced the launch of a new feature called courses, which will allow users to learn about topics in areas like business, tech, lifestyle, music, and more. The feature will initially be made available…

Spotify’s educational audio courses could be coming to U.S.

January 21, 2025

Spotify is expanding its streaming service to now include educational courses in addition to music, podcasts, and audiobooks. The company on Tuesday referenced one of its newer features called courses, which allow users to learn about topics in areas like business, tech, lifestyle, music, and more. The feature is initially being piloted in the U.K.,…

Meta lures TikTok creators with $5K bonuses, content deals, free verification

January 21, 2025

Meta is luring TikTok creators over to its platforms with the promise of cash bonuses, content deals, and support to grow their communities. The company announced on Tuesday that eligible TikTok creators will be able to earn “up to” $5,000 in bonuses over three months for posting Reels on Facebook and Instagram. These creators will…

Meta will soon let you link your WhatsApp account with Instagram and Facebook

January 21, 2025

Meta announced on Tuesday that users will soon be able to add their WhatsApp account to their Accounts Center, a hub where users can manage connected experiences across their Facebook, Instagram, and Meta Quest accounts. With this integration, users will be able to cross-post their WhatsApp Status as Stories on Instagram and Facebook, getting rid…

Anthropic plans to release a ‘two-way’ voice mode for Claude

January 21, 2025

Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei says that the company plans to release a “two-way” voice mode for its chatbot, Claude, as well as a memory feature that lets Claude remember more about users and past conversations. Speaking to The Wall Street Journal at the World Economic Forum at Davos, Amodei also revealed that Anthropic expects to…

OpenAI’s agent tool may be nearing release

January 20, 2025

OpenAI may be close to releasing an AI tool that can take control of your PC and perform actions on your behalf. Tibor Blaho, a software engineer with a reputation for accurately leaking upcoming AI products, claims to have uncovered evidence of OpenAI’s long-rumored Operator tool. Publications including Bloomberg have previously reported on Operator, which…

Flipboard’s new app Surf adds its own video feed, too

January 20, 2025

After the TikTok ban went into effect on Sunday, social network Bluesky launched a custom feed for videos on its platform. Now, Flipboard’s newest app, Surf, which is dedicated to browsing the open social web and decentralized services like Mastodon and Bluesky, is taking advantage of that move to introduce a video feed of its…

RedNote, Flip, Clapper and Likee claim the top of the App Store as TikTok comes back online

January 20, 2025

TikTok may be back, but that hasn’t prevented other Chinese competitors from gaining users. In the lead up to a ban on TikTok — which kicked off Sunday and lasted a day — a number of other video apps rose through the ranks and now dominate the App Store’s Top Charts. The Chinese app RedNote…

Bluesky launches a custom feed for vertical videos

January 19, 2025

It is the product shipping time for all social networks with TikTok’s services in the restoration phase, and the app still unavailable in the App Store and the Play Store. Bluesky said Sunday that it is launching a custom feed for vertical video in its app. Users can see a trending videos section in the explore tab…

Meta announces a new video editing app called Edits amidst TikTok and CapCut ban

January 19, 2025

Meta today announced a new video editing app called Edits, after ByteDance’s video editing app CapCut was removed from Apple’s App Store and the Google Play Store as part of the TikTok ban. Instagram head Adam Mosseri (pictured above) said on Threads that the app will launch next month on iOS, with an Android version…

TikTok goes dark in the US

January 19, 2025

TikTok has gone dark in the U.S., the result of a federal law that bans the popular short-form video app for millions of Americans — at least for now. TikTok users began receiving a message about the ban around 10:30 p.m. Eastern on Saturday evening, and the app also disappeared from the Apple and Google…

Apple lists all apps it removed alongside TikTok in the U.S.

January 19, 2025

Amid the TikTok shutdown, in a rare move, Apple published a statement and a support document listing all affected apps that are inaccessible in the U.S. The iPhone maker typically doesn’t publish information for when it blocks apps. Notably, other ByteDance apps, including CapCut, Lemon8 — which surged in the last few months — and…

TikTok goes dark in the US

January 18, 2025

TikTok has gone dark in the U.S., the result of a federal law that bans the popular social media app for millions of Americans — at least for now. TikTok users began receiving a message about the ban around 10:30 p.m. Eastern. As of Saturday evening, the app was also no longer available in the…

Perplexity acquires Read.cv, a social media platform for professionals

January 17, 2025

Read.cv, a social media platform for professionals that competed with LinkedIn, has been acquired by AI-powered search engine Perplexity. As part of the deal, Read.cv will begin to wind down operations Friday. Users will be able to export their data, including their profiles, posts, and messages, until May 16. “We’ve long admired Perplexity and believe…

TikTok ban: How to download your videos and data

January 17, 2025

The Supreme Court has upheld a ban on TikTok. Before the app goes dark on Sunday, you’re probably wondering how to back up the dozens, hundreds, or even thousands of videos you may have on the platform. Whether you want to save your favorite videos or videos you posted yourself, here’s how to do it. And…

AI startup Character AI tests games on the web

January 17, 2025

Character AI, a startup that lets users chat with different AI-powered characters, is now testing games on its desktop and mobile web apps to increase engagement on its platform. The games are available to Character AI’s paid subscribers and a limited set of users on the free plan. For this initial release, the company developed…

ChatGPT’s newest feature lets users assign it traits like ‘chatty’ and ‘Gen Z’

January 17, 2025

Update: OpenAI officially announced this feature one week after some users reported the arrival, and then disappearance, of the new options. It’s possible they went live prematurely. OpenAI is introducing a new way for users to customize their interactions with ChatGPT, the company’s AI-powered chatbot. On Friday, OpenAI announced it is rolling out a new…

TikTok CEO responds to Trump, thanks him for trying to solve US ban

January 17, 2025

TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew responded to comments made by Donald Trump regarding Friday’s Supreme Court ruling to ban the app in the U.S. In a video posted on TikTok, Chew said, “On behalf of everyone at TikTok and all our users across the country, I want to thank President Trump for his commitment to…

As TikTok faces a US shutdown, here are some alternative apps to check out

January 17, 2025

TikTok has warned of a looming shutdown in just six days, as the Supreme Court is currently weighing the law that would ban the app. So we thought it’s time to take a look at other platforms that may be able to fill the TikTok-shaped hole in our lives. The law gives TikTok parent company…

Google begins requiring JavaScript for Google Search

January 17, 2025

Google says it has begun requiring users to turn on JavaScript, the widely-used programming language to make web pages interactive, in order to use Google Search. In an email to TechCrunch, a company spokesperson claimed that the change is intended to “better protect” Google Search against malicious activity, such as bots and spam, and to…

Bumble founder Whitney Wolfe Herd to reclaim CEO position in March

January 17, 2025

Bumble announced today that founder Whitney Wolfe Herd is returning as CEO after stepping down from the position in 2023. Wolfe Herd will succeed Lidiane Jones, the company’s current CEO who has left for “personal reasons,” Bumble explained. Jones, the former CEO of Slack, will continue her role at Bumble until the transition takes effect…

Instagram Reels rolls out new features for U.S. users as TikTok is banned

January 17, 2025

Instagram announced a timely update to its video feature Reels this morning, alongside the news that the Supreme Court upheld the law that will ban TikTok in the U.S. on January 19. The update, says Meta, will make it easier for users to discover the content that friends and followers are liking on the platform…

Supreme Court upholds TikTok ban

January 17, 2025

The Supreme Court has upheld the law that will effectively ban TikTok on Sunday, January 19. The decision marks the end of TikTok’s months-long legal fight against a law that essentially forces the ByteDance-owned app to shut down unless it divests its U.S. operations. As of Sunday, it will be illegal for app stores and…

Apple brings Store app to Indian market

January 16, 2025

Apple launched its dedicated Apple Store app in India on Friday, deepening its retail presence in the world’s most populous country as the iPhone-maker seeks to capitalize on growing consumer demand. The app, available for download on India’s App Store, lets customers purchase Apple products directly while receiving personalized shopping recommendations, the company said in…

Apple pauses AI notification summaries for news after generating false alerts

January 16, 2025

Apple is pausing AI notification summaries for news and entertainment apps after facing backlash for generating inaccurate news alerts. In addition, the company is introducing changes to notification summaries as a whole to allow for greater transparency. With the latest round of developer previews for iOS 18.3, iPadOS 18.3, and macOS Sequoia 15.3, Apple is disabling…

Mark Cuban is ready to fund a TikTok alternative built on Bluesky’s AT Protocol

January 16, 2025

Entrepreneur and investor Mark Cuban is ready to fund a TikTok alternative built on Bluesky’s AT Protocol, he shared in a TikTok video posted on Wednesday. In anticipation of the coming U.S. TikTok ban, which will go through on Sunday unless paused by the Supreme Court, users have been fleeing to other video platforms, including…

Instagram Threads won’t share a timeline for account portability

January 16, 2025

Will Instagram Threads truly integrate with the fediverse, also known as the open social web, to allow its users not only to interact with people on other services like Twitter alternative Mastodon but also to move their account elsewhere if they decide that Meta’s policies are no longer to their liking? Today that answer remains…

TikTok CEO plans to attend Trump inauguration

January 16, 2025

As TikTok’s fate hangs in the balance, TikTok CEO, Shou Chew, is planning to attend President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration on Monday, The New York Times reports. The executive will join Mark Zuckerberg, Jeff Bezos, and Elon Musk on the dais, which is where former presidents and important guests are traditionally seated. Although Trump initiated calls…

As TikTok faces a US shutdown, here are some alternative apps to check out

January 15, 2025

More teens report using ChatGPT for schoolwork, despite the tech’s faults

January 15, 2025

Younger Gen Zers are embracing OpenAI’s AI-powered chatbot, ChatGPT, for schoolwork, according to a new survey by the Pew Research Center. But it’s not clear that they’re fully aware of the tech’s pitfalls. In a follow-up to its 2023 poll on ChatGPT usage among young people, Pew asked ~1,400 U.S.-based teens ages 13 to 17…

Duolingo sees 216% spike in U.S. users learning Chinese amid TikTok ban and move to RedNote

January 15, 2025

TikTok U.S. users have been learning Chinese on Duolingo in increasing numbers amid their adoption of a Chinese social app called RedNote ahead of the TikTok ban. The U.S. law, scheduled to go into effect on January 19, unless halted by the Supreme Court, will see TikTok removed from U.S. app stores and will stop…

Bluesky is getting its own photo-sharing app, Flashes

January 15, 2025

More good news for those looking to exit Meta’s social app ecosystem in favor of a more open alternative: An independent developer is building a photo-sharing app for Bluesky called Flashes. The soon-to-launch app is powered by the same technology that underpins Bluesky, the AT Protocol, and has been built using code from the developer’s…

Google inks deal with The Associated Press to bring more real-time info to Gemini

January 15, 2025

In a bid to make its Gemini chatbot app more of one-stop shop, Google says it’s working with The Associated Press to build “a feed of real-time information” in Gemini. Jaffer Zaidi, Google’s VP of global news partnerships, said that the goal is to “further enhance the usefulness of results” in the Gemini experience. “As…

OpenAI tests letting users sign up for ChatGPT with only a phone number

January 15, 2025

OpenAI has begun testing a feature that lets new ChatGPT users sign up with only a phone number — no email required. As spotted by software engineer Tibor Blaho, the feature, which is available in beta in the U.S. and India, lets users create an account for ChatGPT, OpenAI’s AI-powered chatbot platform, by providing their…

Hinge’s new AI feature determines if your prompt response is too basic

January 15, 2025

Hinge today launched a new AI-powered feature called “Prompt Feedback,” which aims to improve your dating profile by analyzing how you answer prompts and assessing if it needs to be more specific or authentic. Powered by OpenAI’s GPT-4o mini, Prompt Feedback evaluates each response and offers personalized advice tailored to help you share interesting details…

Creator of Gas and tbh makes an app for disappearing photos via iMessage

January 15, 2025

Nikita Bier, creator of popular apps like the anonymous polling app tbh (acquired by Facebook) and the anonymous compliments app Gas (acquired by Discord), has created a new app called Explode, which focuses on disappearing messages on iMessage. Explode works as a mini app for Apple’s Messages app. It helps you send disappearing messages to…

Substack rolls out livestreaming for all publishers

January 14, 2025

After testing live video features in the fall, newsletter platform Substack announced on Tuesday that it is now making livestreaming available to all publishers. This new feature allows creators to engage with their viewers and collaborate with other publishers. The introduction of livestreaming indicates that Substack is following in the footsteps of other platforms like…

TikTok users’ attempted migration to Chinese app RedNote isn’t going too well

January 14, 2025

American TikTok users have been thumbing their collective noses at the U.S. government’s decision to ban TikTok by spitefully joining another Chinese social media app, Red Note (aka Xiaohongshu), sending it to the top of the U.S. App Store on Monday. Unfortunately, many of those who already made the transition have faced problems with having…

ChatGPT now lets you schedule reminders and recurring tasks

January 14, 2025

Paying users of OpenAI’s ChatGPT can now ask the AI assistant to schedule reminders or recurring requests. The new beta feature, called tasks, will start rolling out to ChatGPT Plus, Team, and Pro users around the globe this week. With tasks, users can set simple reminders with ChatGPT such as, “Remind me when my passport…

WhatsApp is adding a way to turn selfies into stickers

January 14, 2025

WhatsApp is adding new features including creating new stickers from selfies, sharing sticker packs, and adding new camera effects. Stickers and camera effects are good engagement ploys to keep users interacting with their contacts. The chat app added the ability to create custom stickers from photos last year. Now, the company is adding an option…

Decentralized Instagram alternative Pixelfed launches mobile apps

January 14, 2025

Pixelfed, a decentralized alternative to Instagram, has launched its official mobile apps. The service today runs on the same ActivityPub protocol that powers an open source X alternative Mastodon, a YouTube competitor PeerTube, and other decentralized social apps, including now Meta’s Threads and Flipboard (plus its newer app, Surf), that are part of a growing…

As TikTok faces a US shutdown, here are some alternative apps to check out

January 13, 2025

Watch Duty was downloaded 2 million times during this week’s LA fires

January 12, 2025

Fire-tracking app Watch Duty has become a crucial source of information for Los Angeles residents threatened by the ongoing wildfires. As TechCrunch’s Maxwell Zeff explained, the app relies on a network of active and retired firefighters, first responders, official government reports, and volunteer reporters who monitor radio scanners to offer real-time updates on active wildfires.…

How to turn off Apple Intelligence-powered notification summaries

January 12, 2025

With iOS 18, Apple rolled out Apple Intelligence, which includes an AI-powered feature for summarizing notifications. When you get a bunch of notifications from one app, the feature summarizes the content of all notifications in one card that appears on the lock screen. You can dismiss the stack after you have read the summary, or…

Open source licenses: Everything you need to know

January 12, 2025

Open source makes the technology world go ’round, forming as much as 90% of the modern software stack via frameworks; libraries; databases; operating systems; and countless standalone applications. The benefits of open source software are well understood, promising greater control and transparency. However, there’s a perennial struggle between the open source and proprietary realms, leading…

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