WhatsApp Rolls Out Secret Code Feature for Locked Chats on iOS and Android: How it Works

WhatsApp has started rolling out a new Secret Code feature for locked chats on the app. The messaging app is extending the capability of its Chat Lock feature by allowing you to hide the presence of your sensitive conversations.

Google Play Best of 2023: Several Indian Developers Awarded for Top Apps and Games on the Play Store

Google Play Best of 2023 awards have been announced, and the company's annual recognition of apps for 2023 includes those that help users with personal growth, mental health, self-care, and online shopping. Google has awarded apps that are brining AI for wellness and learning features to their apps, including SwiftChat, Stimuler, and Level SuperMind. Meanwhile, Monopo...

ChatGPT Turns One: Most Notable Moments After OpenAI Released Its Free AI Chatbot

ChatGPT was released to the public a year ago and the company's AI-powered chatbot has grown in popularity as it gained more features and capabilities. From its arrival in November 2022 in the form of a free AI chatbot to the release of the powerful new GPT-4 Turbo for paying subscribers earlier this month, there's how ChatGPT has evolved over the course of a year, ga...

OnePlus Open Review: Raising the Bar

Being the company’s first foldable smartphone comes with a ton of expectations both for fans of the brand and new customers. With the Open, OnePlus has managed to not just meet expectations when it comes to foldables, but go well beyond them, setting new standards in the process. However, as loaded as it is, it does have a few shortcomings.

YouTube Introduces ‘Playables’ Game Arcade for Premium Subscribers: Here’s How to Enable the Feature

YouTube is expanding its offerings to Premium subscribers, adding a few new experimental features for its paying members to try out. The video-hosting and streaming service already has a major presence in gaming, but now YouTube Premium members can actually play games on YouTube, without any downloads. The platform has rolled out ‘Playables,’ a new collection of o...

Chinese Group Alipay Said to Have Sold 3.4 Percent Stake in Zomato

Chinese payments group Alipay plans to sell its 3.4 percent stake in Indian food delivery giant Zomato for nearly $400 million (nearly Rs. 3,333 crore) through block deals on Indian stock exchanges, according to three sources and a Reuters review of the deal's term sheet. Alipay, owned by Ant Group, will offload its entire 3.44 percent stake in the deal, the term shee...

Google App for Android Starts Testing Bottom-Aligned Search Bar for Improved Reachability

Google is bringing its search bar to the bottom of the app on Android smartphones. As part of a new test, Google has reportedly shifted the search bar from the top to the lower half of the screen, above the three navigation tabs on the app, in a move that could make it easier to start searches using one hand.

Google Chrome, Calendar Apps Will Soon Drop Support for Outdated Android Smartphones

Google Chrome updates will soon be discontinued for several smartphones that are running outdated Android versions. Google Calendar updates on these phones will also be unavailable, according to a report. You will have to update your older smartphone to a newer Android version or purchase a new handset with the latest Android version, in order to continue receiving th...

Airtel, Jio Offer Prepaid Plan With Free Netflix Subscription, Unlimited 5G Data: See Price, Validity

Airtel recently introduced a prepaid plan that includes a Netflix subscription bundle. It is said to be Bharti Airtel’s response to similar plans that Jio launched earlier this year. Notably, Airtel and Jio are the two network providers to offer 5G connectivity to users in India. The Netflix bundles from both these telecom operators also include unlimited 5G data.

WhatsApp Rolling Out View-Once Photos, Videos for Desktop Apps, Web: Report

WhatsApp users can send photos and videos that can only be viewed once before being erased from the chat. The feature is, however, only available on Android and iOS. Now, a report suggests that the social media platform is reintroducing the "View Once" photos and videos feature for WhatsApp Web and WhatsApp desktop versions.

YouTube Introduces ‘Playables’ Game Arcade for Premium Subscribers: Here’s How to Enable the Feature

YouTube is expanding its offerings to Premium subscribers, adding a few new experimental features for its paying members to try out. The video-hosting and streaming service already has a major presence in gaming, but now YouTube Premium members can actually play games on YouTube, without any downloads. The platform has rolled out ‘Playables,’ a new collection of o...

Elon Musk's X Could Lose Nearly $75 Million in Ad Revenue by Year-End: Report

Elon Musk-owned social media company X could lose as much as $75 million (nearly Rs. 625 crore) in advertising revenue by the end of the year as dozens of major brands pause their marketing campaigns, the New York Times reported on Friday. Musk backing an antisemitic post on the platform last week has led several companies including Walt Disney and Warner Bros. Discov...

Apple’s Journal App Review: A Simple Journaling App With Some Smarts

Apple announced its brand new Journal app during WWDC in June this year. The app is said to help users write down their thoughts, keep a daily log, and as Apple says, a “new way to reflect on and relive special moments”. It can also give you suggestions on what to write about, and that’s done by using data from your phone. I’ve been using the app for a couple ...

Google Maps Shares New Features to Protect Against Fake Content, Harmful Reviews

While Google Maps is usually a reliable way to check up information on places like restaurants, cinemas, ATM locations and other establishments, it is not immune to fake reviews and misleading content. In a bid to make Maps more robust, Google has now shared three new ways it prevents policy-violating content from being submitted.

Instagram Feature to Download Publicly Posted Reels Now Available Globally

Instagram rolled out the ability to download Reels posted by public accounts earlier this year in the US. The Meta owned platform has now confirmed that the feature is rolling out to users globally as well. With the help of the new feature users worldwide will be able to share downloaded Reels through other platforms apart from the native Instagram app.

Google Pay Said to Begin Collecting Convenience Fee on Mobile Recharge Transactions

Google Pay has begun charging a convenience fee when users purchase a mobile recharge plan, according to user reports online. The company appears to have joined rival payment platforms Paytm and PhonePe that previously introduced a convenience fee when users make prepaid recharge payments. Google Pay has reportedly begun to charge up to Rs. 3 in convenience fees on mo...

Things to Consider When Buying Your First Foldable Smartphone

Foldables have been gaining popularity over the years, but with the technology finally maturing, many are finding foldables to be an attractive option over a regular slate or phablet smartphone which has been the norm for a decade. We take a closer look at two types of foldable smartphones and also glance through the positives and negatives of each form factor.

Nothing Chats Partner Sunbird Informs Users of Temporary Shutdown Amid Reports of Security Issues

Sunbird, the service provider used by Nothing Chats, has temporarily shut down its messaging platform following reports of several security issues affecting the platform. Users of the Sunbird app have received a message stating that the company would provide additional information in the future, and that access was being put on hold.

Spotify Allowed to Sidestep Play Store Fees as Part of Confidential Deal, Google Executive Says

Google allowed Spotify to bypass the company's mandatory Play Store fees, according to a company executive. During the ongoing Epic vs Google trial, the search giant's head of partnership testified that Spotify did not pay the company any fees when it processed customer payments on its own. If customers chose to pay Spotify via Google's in-app billing service, the pla...

WhatsApp Rolling Out Ability to Link Email Address to Account: How It Works

WhatsApp is allowing users on iOS to link their email address to their account, allowing for an additional avenue of access to the messaging platform. It will come in handy when receiving an SMS code to log in to WhatsApp is not possible. Unlike your phone number, your email address will not be visible to your contacts.

Gmail Update to Add Dedicated Unsubscribe Button for Promotional Emails on Android: Report

Gmail accounts are susceptible to promotional and spam emails sent in bulk, cluttering inboxes with unwanted mail subscriptions. While most promotional emails include a link to unsubscribe at the bottom, Gmail is now working on making it easier for users to unsign from bulk email lists. A new report says that Google’s email client is testing a prominent and dedicate...

OnePlus AI Music Studio With Audio and Video Generation Features Launched, Global Contest Announced

OnePlus AI Music Studio has been announced as a new generative AI service that allows users to create music and video tracks online. The service lets you pick genres, moods and video styles and then share a prompt to create a video. A competition has also been launched, allowing users to create videos — winners will get coupons that can be used to redeem products on...

India Vs Australia World Cup Final Match Records 5.9 Crore Concurrent Viewers on Disney+ Hotstar

Disney's video streaming service Disney+ Hotstar broke a new record for global live-streaming viewership on November 19 during the World Cup final match between India and Australia. Concurrent viewership reached 5.9 crore surpassing the record set on November 15 during the India and New Zealand semi-final match of 5.3 crore concurrent viewership.

WhatsApp AI Chats Shortcut Rolling Out to Some Beta Testers Alongside Status Filters

WhatsApp is testing a visual change that will improve the discoverability of its upcoming artificial intelligence (AI) chats feature. Meta's AI-powered assistants are currently available to some users in the US. WhatsApp has also begun testing a new section for status updates that allows you to view and filter a list of status updates based on four different criteria,...

Google Pixel 8 Pro Review: New Pixel, Old Problems

In 2023, Google’s Pixel may be the only smartphone which openly adapted several AI-enhanced features. While many of these may be controversial, it does set new standards for image editing even though it will take Google a while to perfect these. As for the rest, there are only minor performance-related improvements over the previous model even though there’s plent...

Amazon Targets Merchandise Exports Worth $20 Billion From India by 2025

Amazon is targeting merchandise exports worth $20 billion (nearly Rs. 1,66,500 crore) from India by 2025 by adding thousands of small sellers to its e-commerce platform, a company official said on Friday. There was huge demand for "Made in India" organic health supplements, homeware like bath towels, jute rugs, and robotic games for children ahead of the Black Friday...

YouTube Premium Gets High Bitrate 1080p Video on Android, Smart TVs; Introduces AI-Based Features

YouTube Premium subscription cost was hiked in some regions recently. Premium users enjoy ad-free access to videos, the ability to watch videos or listen to music in the background, and high-quality video streaming. Now, the Google-owned company has announced new features for YouTube Premium users around the world including some AI-backed elements.

OTT Releases This Week: Jawan, The Killer, The Railway Men, and More

What are the top movies and TV series in the list of OTT releases this week? We’ve listed the most interesting choices for you to binge-watch this weekend, ranging from David Fincher’s The Killer, Shah Rukh Khan-led Jawan, DC Comics’ The Flash, The Railway Men, The Crown season 6, and more.

Instagram Allows Feed Post Audience Customisation; Introduces New Reels Editing Tools, More

Instagram recently said it was testing features allowing users to customise their feeds more. Now, the social media platform has started rolling out the feature where users can choose their “audience” before sharing a post to their feed. Instagram has also introduced several new editing tools for Reels, alongside new post filters and improved insights.

Spotify to Launch Ad Marketplace for Podcasts in India, Other Select Countries

Spotify, the popular music streaming company, has on Thursday said that it will launch its advertising marketplace for podcasts in five new markets, including Sweden and India. This expansion will be a part of the Spotify Audience Network, which was first launched in 2021. The Spotify Audience Network is available in nine countries such as Germany and the United Sta...

Google Photos Rolls Out Photo Stacks, New AI-Powered Document Features to Organise Your Library

Google announced the addition of new AI-backed features to Google Photos via a blog post. Google's new Photo Stacks feature will automatically identify and group together similar photos of the same subject taken within a short time frame and select the top pick that best captures that moment. Another AI-powered feature will identify and automatically categorise screen...

Threads Begins Testing Interactive Tags Without Hash Symbol: All You Need to Know

Threads is testing support for tags, as the platform adds a much-awaited feature from its microblogging rival X (formerly known as Twitter). Unlike tags on X, Threads won't display the hash symbol. The inclusion of post counts for tags hints at the arrival of a trending section on Threads.

iPhone 14 Users Get Free One-Year Extension for Emergency SOS via Satellite Feature

Apple introduced the Emergency SOS via satellite for all iPhone 14 users in November 2022. When there are no other options for contacting emergency services, emergency SOS via satellite can help users get in touch with them. The feature has been reported to be life-saving in several situations so far. Now, Apple is extended support for feature on iPhone 14 models for ...

Telegram Founder Teases visionOS App With Translucent Design for Apple Vision Pro: All You Need to Know

Telegram for visionOS was shown off on Tuesday by Pavel Durov, the founder of the messaging app. The new app for the Apple Vision Pro headset will allow users to access their chats via a translucent interface and dictate messages — or type them using a virtual keyboard. You will also be able to display media like videos that appear in am immersive view, while emoji ...

Apple Announces 2023 App Store Award Finalists, Featuring Duolingo, Honkai: Star Rail and More

Apple has announced the 2023 App Store Award finalists. Each year, App Store’s editorial team select and spotlight some of the best apps across categories on Apple’s Storefront. Apps and games on App Store are recognised for their technical and creative achievements. This year’s App Store Award finalists include over 40 app and game developers across 10 differen...

WhatsApp Chat History and Media Backups on Android Will Soon Take Up Space on Google Account Storage

WhatsApp chat history and media backups for Android users are stored separately from their Google account cloud storage. With backups of the popular instant messaging app not taking up space on Google accounts, Android users have had the benefit of additional cloud storage space available for their photos, videos, emails and other files. That is going to change. Googl...

WhatsApp Testing Secret Code Feature for Locked Chats; Channel Usernames Reportedly in the Works

WhatsApp secret code feature is being beta tested on the latest version of the app for Android smartphones. The feature allows you to hide a locked chat behind a secret code and does not display the list of hidden chats until the correct pin is entered. Meanwhile, WhatsApp is also working on the ability to set a username for a channel, but this feature cannot be teste...

Apple to Allow Users in the EU to Sideload iPhone Apps in H1 2024: Gurman

Apple will allow users in the European Union to sideload iPhone apps onto their smartphones, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. iPhone owners will be able to install apps not accessible via the App Store for the first time, as the company has to adhere to recent EU regulations. Unlike Google's Android operating system. the ability to sideload apps is not expected t...

WhatsApp Rolls Out Voice Chat Feature for Less Disruptive Group Calls: How It Works

WhatsApp is rolling out voice chats, a new feature that makes group calls on the messaging service less intrusive. Instead of ringing members' devices, voice chats will be less intrusive and allow group members who are in a conversation to perform other tasks on the messaging app. The feature will be available to groups with more than 33 members.

Threads Rolls Out Ability to Delete Profile Without Deleting Your Instagram Account

Threads, Meta’s micro-blogging rival to Elon Musk’s X, has quickly become a popular social media platform months within its launch. Since Threads went live in July, users have complained about the fact that the platform does not let them delete their profile without deleting their Instagram account altogether. Now, Instagram head Adam Mosseri has announced two new...

YouTube Faces Criminal Complaint for 'Spying' on Users While Detecting Ad Blockers: Report

YouTube could face criminal charges in Europe for allegedly violating Ireland's computer abuse law by detecting ad blockers on users' computers, according to a report. A privacy consultant has claimed that YouTube is spying on users after it recently introduced restrictions on ad blockers, preventing users who used specific browser extensions from viewing videos.

Threads Users Can Now Stop Their Posts From Being Suggested on Facebook, Instagram

Threads was released to the public earlier this year in July. Soon after, possibly to increase engagement on the newly launched platform, Meta integrated Threads posts on Facebook and Instagram. User posts started showing up on these social platforms as suggestions. Now, users can choose to opt out of the default setting of sharing Threads posts on other Meta platform...

Google Play Store Saw Over 600 Million Malware, Malicious App Downloads in 2023: Kaspersky

Google boasts of robust security rules for its Play Store, promising safe downloads and strict action against malicious apps for users. But, with millions of applications hosted on the store front, there’s also a considerable amount of malicious content that can harm Android users. Now, Kaspersky has claimed that Android users downloaded malware from Google’s Play...

Nothing Phone 2 Users Get Nothing OS 2.5 Open Beta 2 Update; Nothing OS 3 Teased

Nothing has released the Nothing OS 2.5 Open Beta 2 for Nothing Phone 2 users. With the Open Beta 2, Nothing brings upgraded features including an updated Glyph Interface. The Android 14-based update also brings several new widgets. However, since this is a Beta release, Nothing warns that it may interfere with the data and performance of the phone.

Facebook and Instagram Introduce Support for Seamless Shopping via Amazon: How it Works

Facebook and Instagram now allow users to make purchases via Amazon without leaving the apps. A new partnership between Meta and Amazon will allow customers to connect their shopping and social networking accounts, allowing them to choose an item and complete the purchase process inside a window on the Facebook or Instagram apps, according to details that have surface...

Amazon Plans to Replace Android-Based Fire OS With New Operating System on Fire TVs, Other Devices: Report

Amazon currently runs Fire OS, an Android fork, on Fire TVs and tablets. Fire OS devices support most Android apps as the operating system is based on Android Open Source Project. The e-commerce juggernaut, however, could be planning to move away from Google’s OS. According to a new report, Amazon plans to replace the Android-based Fire OS on Fire TVs and other devi...

Nothing Phone 2 Users Get Nothing OS 2.5 Open Beta 2 Update; Nothing OS 3 Teased

Nothing has released the Nothing OS 2.5 Open Beta 2 for Nothing Phone 2 users. With the Open Beta 2, Nothing brings upgraded features including an updated Glyph Interface. The Android 14-based update also brings several new widgets. However, since this is a Beta release, Nothing warns that it may interfere with the data and performance of the phone.

Google’s AI-Powered Search Generative Experience Expands to Over 120 New Countries and Territories

Google launched its generative AI-infused Search Generative Experience (SGE) in the US earlier this year and expanded the AI search tool to India and Japan in August. Now, Google is expanding SGE to more than 120 new countries and territories, the search engine giant said in blog post Wednesday.

Google’s Android 14 Storage Bug Gets Patched With New November Security Update, but There’s a Catch

The critical Android 14 bug only affected users who had multiple account profiles loaded on to the Pixel devices. The new update patches this issue but still leaves those handsets, which were stuck in bootloop after updating to Android 14, helpless. The key problem here is data recovery, which is something Google has been unable to fix.

WhatsApp Head Will Cathcart Says Company Could Show Ads, but Not in Main Inbox: Report

WhatsApp may display ads in some parts of the app, a top executive recently stated in an interview. Will Cathcart, the head of WhatsApp, recently confirmed that the app won't display ads in the main inbox or in chats, but they might appear in two other sections of the app.

WhatsApp Adds Feature to Protect IP Address in Calls for Enhanced Privacy: How to Turn It On

WhatsApp Protect IP address in calls feature is now rolling out to users on iOS and Android, as a way to enhance user privacy when making and receiving calls on the messaging service. The feature will hide your IP address by relaying your calls through the company's servers instead of directly connecting to the other party and revealing your IP address, according to ...

Meta to Make Disclosure of AI, Digitally-Created Ads Compulsory From 2024

Meta Platforms on Wednesday said come 2024, advertisers will have to disclose when artificial intelligence (AI) or other digital methods are used to alter or create political, social or election related advertisements on Facebook and Instagram. 

Instagram Testing New Feature to Turn Off Read Receipts in Direct Messages

Instagram is working on a new feature that will allow users to turn off read receipts in Instagram DMs. The Meta-owned social media site did not confirm when the feature will roll out to users. WhatsApp already carries a similar feature that allows its users to customise whether others can or cannot see if a message is read.

WhatsApp Web Allows Beta Testers to Search for Messages by Date: Report

WhatsApp Web beta has added a new feature that is currently available to beta testers, allowing users to search for messages sent or received on a particular date. It could come in handy when users don't remember specific keywords to search for. Messages that do not have searchable text content, such as videos and voice notes, can also be found faster using this metho...

Echo Series Will Debut Under New Marvel Spotlight Banner to Help Reduce MCU Homework

Echo will premiere under a new label in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, when it debuts on January 10. The stories under the ‘Marvel Spotlight’ banner will function as standalone entries that new audiences can get into without worrying about continuity or having to do any homework on previous movies/ shows.

ChatGPT Upgrade Offering Access to Updated World Knowledge for GPT-4 Turbo Users Announced by OpenAI

ChatGPT is getting an upgrade to offer more up-to-date and accurate information, according to OpenAI CEO Sam Altman. GPT4-Turbo will also be able to process an image as a prompt or write code, in addition to being trained on updated information.

xAI, Elon Musk's AI Startup, to Be Integrated With X; Will Be Available as Standalone App

Elon Musk's artificial intelligence startup xAI will be integrated into his social media platform X and also be available as a standalone app, he said on Sunday in a post. The billionaire also said xAI released its first AI model, a bot named Grok, after making it available to all X Premium+ subscribers on Friday.

WhatsApp Begins Beta Testing Email Address Verification; Working on Ability to Share Polls in Channels: Report

WhatsApp is allowing beta testers on Android to add their email address to the app, as the messaging platform continues to make it easier for you to log in, even when receiving an authentication code via SMS is not an option. Meanwhile, WhatsApp is working on adding support for sharing polls on channels, a feature that is expected to arrive on a future version of the ...

Google Play Protect Real-Time Scanning Effective Against Several Malicious Apps: Report

Google Play Protect real-time scanning is reportedly effective at protecting users from malicious apps installed outside the Play Store. According to a report, the proactive protection for users on Android smartphones is capable of stopping several threats, including those that can be used to extort money from users. Google's updated Play Protect with code-level scann...

Elon Musk Announces 'Grok' AI Chatbot for X Premium+ Subscribers, to Compete With ChatGPT

Elon Musk's xAI startup on Monday launched Grok, a new AI chatbot designed to compete with OpenAI's ChatGPT service. The new Grok chatbot is in limited private testing and will roll out to users in the future. It will be accessible to X Premium+ subscribers only, according to Musk.

WhatsApp Improves Group Calls Experience, Lets Users Call Up to 31 Participants With Latest Update: Report

WhatsApp is improving the group calling experience with its latest update on iOS. Users could previously choose to invite 15 group members to join a call, but the limit has now been raised to allow 31 group participants to be invited to a call.

Meta Announces Paid Ad-Free Subscription for Facebook, Instagram in Europe

Meta announced a paid ad-free subscription for Facebook and Instagram via a blog post on Monday. Starting next month, Facebook and Instagram users in the European Union (EU), European Economic Area (EEA), and Switzerland can pay a monthly fee to use Meta-owned platforms without ads.

Telegram Update Brings Advanced Reply Options, Link Preview Customisations, Account Colours, More

Telegram announced a new update recently that brought new and advanced features for users. Some of the elements rolled out are available to only Telegram Premium users. The update brings several innovative changes to the basic reply feature. Users can also format quotes and customise link previews with the new update. Telegram stories also received some minor upgrades...

Instagram Testing New Feature That Allows Friends to Add Photos, Videos to Your Carousel Posts

Instagram has seen a host of changes in recent times as the popular photo sharing app adds more features. Last week, the Meta-owned social media platform was testing a dedicated feed that only shows posts from verified users. Now, the app is testing a collaborative carousel post feature that allows users to invite their friends to contribute to their feed posts.

Delhi Air Pollution: These Apps Can Help You Track AQI Data, Weather Forecast

Delhi, Gujarat, Haryana, Goa and many other cities in India have been under severe Air Quality Index (AQI) as the pollution level is rising gradually. In order to check the AQI of your area or your city before stepping out of the house, there are a few apps that you can install in your phone. As the pollution level is on a rise, we have curated a list of AQI level che...

Instagram Rolling Out Stories-Like Song Lyrics Feature to Reels

Instagram, the Meta-owned social media platform, is rolling out a feature that allows users to add song lyrics to their Reels, just like on Instagram Stories. Instagram head Adam Mosseri announced the update on his Broadcast Channel. He added that the company is currently working on more features for Reels.

YouTube Premium Price Raised in Seven Countries Following Crackdown on Ad Blockers

YouTube Premium is now more expensive in seven countries, days after the firm recently began rolling out a mechanism to prevent users with ad blockers from accessing the service. The firm will offer a grace period of three months for existing customers while subscribers will be charged immediately.

WhatsApp Banned 71.1 Lakh Indian Accounts in September in Compliance With IT Rules

Meta-owned WhatsApp banned 71.1 lakh accounts during September in compliance with the IT rules, according to the latest India monthly report released by the popular messaging platform. Out of them, 25.7 lakh accounts were proactively banned before any reports from users. An Indian account is identified via the '+91' country code.

Apple Watch Could One Day Support Blood Sugar Monitoring, Blood Pressure Trends, More: Report

Apple is reportedly working on adding support for new features to the Apple Watch as the company continues to expand the health tracking functionality of its wearables, according to a Bloomberg report. Over the years, the company has also struggled with adding some features to the Apple Watch due to issues with accuracy.

WhatsApp Spotted Working on Alternate Profile Feature; Lets Testers Double Tap to Seek Videos

WhatsApp will soon allow users to set up an alternate profile on the app or the ability to show some users your default profile, while displaying another one to other users. The Meta-owned messaging platform has also begun testing a new feature that allows testers to seek a video with a double tap gesture on the left and right sides of the screen, on the latest versio...

YouTube Begins Global Crackdown on Ad Blockers, Urges Users to Allow Ads or Subscribe to YouTube Premium

According to a report in The Verge, YouTube is expanding its efforts to render ad blockers ineffective on its site. In statement provided to the site, YouTube communications manager Christopher Lawton said that the platform has launched “a global effort” to urge users to allow ads or subscribe to YouTube Premium.