YouTube Said to Be Blocking Songs by Adele, Kendrick Lamar and Other Artists in the US Following Legal Dispute

YouTube has blocked songs by popular artists such as Adele, Bob Dylan, Green Day, and Kendrick Lamar in the US, according to a report. This step is said to be taken by the video-streaming platform following a legal rights dispute with the Society of European Stage Authors and Composers (SESAC).

ChatGPT Subscription Prices Could Reportedly Be Hiked Before the End of the Year

ChatGPT, the artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot by OpenAI is reportedly about to get more expensive for paid subscribers. According to a new report, the AI firm is planning to increase the subscription price for the ChatGPT Plus users by $2 (roughly Rs. 167) a month. The price hike is not expected to stop there either, as the company is said to push the monthly subs...

WhatsApp Beta Introduces Feature to Block Messages From Unknown Accounts

WhatsApp is rolling out an update to beta testers, introducing a new feature aimed at safeguarding users from unwanted messages from unknown accounts. The optional feature automatically protects users from unidentified senders by filtering messages under certain conditions.

Elon Musk's X Seeks Brazil Comeback, Retreats on 'Censorship' Feud

Elon Musk's X told Brazil's Supreme Court it had complied with orders to stop the spread of misinformation and asked a judge to lift a ban on the platform. The billionaire had held out for more than five months against what he called "censorship" in a feud with a judge in one of X's largest and most coveted markets. The court shut Brazilians' access to the platf...

Gemini in Gmail App Adds Contextual Smart Replies Feature for Google Workspace Users

Gemini in the Gmail app is getting a new feature which will let users quickly respond to emails with the power of artificial intelligence (AI). Dubbed contextual smart replies, the feature allows users to respond to incoming emails with detailed replies. The AI can process the content of the email and contextually generate a reply. Notably, the smart replies feature w...

Pixel Phones With Temperature Sensor Could Get Material Auto-Detection Feature Soon

Google Pixel 9 Pro and Pixel 8 Pro’s pre-installed Thermometer app could get a new feature that could make the process of recording the temperature easier, according to a report. It is said to have been spotted during an APK teardown of the app. Leveraging the temperature sensor located at the back of the Pixel 9 Pro and its predecessor, this feature might automatic...

Mozilla Hit With Privacy Complaint Over Firefox User Tracking

Mozilla's Firefox browser has been accused of tracking user behaviour on websites without consent. Vienna-based advocacy group NOYB has filed a complaint with the Austrian data protection authority.

Meta Rolls Out AI-Powered ‘Imagine’ Feature to Facebook, Instagram and Messenger

Meta AI features were a major highlight during the company’s annual Meta Connect event on Wednesday. The company introduced the new voice chat feature and added new artificial intelligence features to the Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses. The social media giant also expanded the experimental ‘Imagine’ feature to [Facebook](https://ift.tt/7oscWEY), In...

Meta AI Voice Chat Feature With Celebrity Voices Rolled out to Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp

Meta AI voice chat feature was finally introduced on Wednesday, after rumours about it appeared earlier this week. The social media giant announced multiple new artificial intelligence (AI) features for its native chatbot at the Meta Connect 2024, among which the voice chat feature was a major highlight. It will allow users to have a two-way conversation with the AI w...

Snapchat Partners With Google to Deploy My AI Powered by Gemini, Adds Computer Vision Capabilities

Snapchat has partnered with Google Cloud to bring the capabilities of its artificial intelligence (AI) model Gemini to My AI. Announced on Tuesday, the strategic partnership has allowed the social media platform to add computer vision capabilities as well as improved processing of text, audio, and code. As per the Mountain View-based tech giant, Snapchat’s My AI is ...

UK's Competition and Markets Authority Remains Concerned Over's Google's Ad Privacy Plan

The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) of the UK has said on Tuesday that "concerns remain" over the company's plans to retain third-party cookies as part of its Chrome browser.

Google Imagery Update Enables Street-Level Exploration in 80 Countries; Introduces Historical View in Google Earth

Google Street View has received one of its biggest updates in recent years. It is now available in nearly 80 countries, some of which have Street View imagery for the first time ever. The feature, available on Google Earth and Maps, stitches together billions of panoramic images to provide street-level views which users can access from home.

Meta AI Voice Chat Said to Feature Voices of Celebrities Including John Cena, Judi Dench

Meta is reportedly planning to announce a new voice mode feature for the native Meta AI chatbot. The feature is believed to work similarly to the voice mode on OpenAI’s ChatGPT and allows users to have two-way conversations with the AI. However, the social media giant is said to have partnered with various celebrities and public figures to include their voices in th...

Google Photos Updated With AI-Powered Video Presets, New Video Editing Features

Google Photos is getting a new update that adds several new video editing tools to the app. Announced on Monday, the Mountain View-based tech giant announced one artificial intelligence (AI) editing feature as well as three new editing tools. The AI feature will be available to both Android and iOS users, however, the editing tools are only being rolled out to Android...

Telegram to Provide Users' IP Addresses, Phone Numbers to Law Enforcement Authorities, CEO Says

Telegram will provide users’ IP addresses and phone numbers to relevant authorities in response to valid legal requests. The move represents a marked difference from Telegram’s approach to government requests for data and its reputation for lax moderation.

YouTube Premium Subscription Price Reportedly Hiked in Italy, Saudi Arabia and Other Countries

YouTube Premium — the ad-free subscription plan offered by the video-streaming platform — has received a price hike in Italy, Netherlands, Saudi Arabia and several other countries, according to claims on social media. In the European countries, it has become more expensive by approximately EUR 2 (roughly Rs. 186) for the ‘Single’ plan, while the hike is also a...

Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold Gets Ability to Use Inner and Outer Cameras Simultaneously on Meet

Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold is getting a new functionality on one of the company’s first-party apps which aims to enhance the meeting experience. On Google Meet, users will now be able to use the inner and outer cameras of the smartphone simultaneously during video conferencing. While this feature was initially announced with the launch of the Pixel 9 Pro Fold in August...

WhatsApp Beta Introduces Feature to Block Messages From Unknown Accounts

WhatsApp is rolling out an update to beta testers, introducing a new feature aimed at safeguarding users from unwanted messages from unknown accounts. The optional feature automatically protects users from unidentified senders by filtering messages under certain conditions.

Hacker Uses Telegram Chatbots to Leak Data of Star Health Insurance

Customer data such as medical reports from Star Health Insurance has been made publicly available through chatbots on Telegram. The alleged chatbot creator told a security researcher that the private information of millions was up for sale, with samples accessible via Telegram chatbots.

Google Chrome Passkey Support Gets an Improvement Allowing Users to Sync Across Devices

Google Chrome is getting a new update that will make it easier for users to sign into their Google Accounts across devices. On Thursday, the Mountain View-based tech giant introduced an update which allows users to add the Google Password Manager PIN on multiple operating systems such as Windows, Linux, macOS, and Android. This means users can now sync their passkeys ...

EU Antitrust Regulators to Spell Out How Apple Must Open Up to Rivals to Abide by Digital Markets Act

EU antitrust regulators have initiated proceedings to ensure Apple adheres to significant regulations that mandate opening its proprietary ecosystem to competitors. Through the specification proceedings, the European Commission will detail the actions Apple must take to comply with the Digital Markets Act (DMA), which was enacted in 2023.

LinkedIn Reportedly Trained Generative AI Models on User Data Without Permission Before Updating Policy

LinkedIn, the social networking site for professionals, was reportedly scraping user data on the platform without informing the users first. The company has now updated its terms of service to reflect this, however, it continues to automatically opt-in users unless they manually find and toggle off the setting to opt-out. Several netizens took to social media platform...

YouTube Brings AI-Powered Video Generation Capabilities to Shorts, AI Reply Suggestions in Comments

YouTube is introducing several new features to its video streaming platform, and a few of them will be powered by artificial intelligence (AI). On Wednesday, the platform held its Made on YouTube event and the biggest announcement was the integration of a new AI Video model to let creators generate backgrounds and six-second-long videos. The AI model being used for th...

Snapchat to Introduce AI-Powered Video Generation Tool for Creators, Improvements to My AI

Snapchat announced new artificial intelligence (AI) tools for users on Tuesday. The social media giant revealed at its 6th annual Snap Partner Summit that the company is planning to introduce an AI video tool for those with a creator account. The AI tool will allow users to generate videos from text and image prompts.

Discord Introduces End-to-End Encryption Protocol for Audio, Video Calls in DMs and Voice Channels

Discord launched end-to-end encryption protocol dubbed DAVE for audio and video calls on Tuesday. It will offer encryption in direct messages (DMs), Group DMs, voice channels, and Go Live streams, for its estimated 200 million monthly users. The social media platform said that users will be able to check when end-to-end encryption is in effect and verify other members...

Instagram Teen Accounts With Enhanced Safety Features for Younger Users Launched

Instagram Teen Accounts have been introduced as the latest measure to safeguard young users on the platform. These Teen Accounts come with default-enabled protections, and only users over the age of 16 can modify the safety settings of their account. Additionally, parents or guardians can monitor who has messaged their teenagers in the past week and can establish dail...

WhatsApp Reportedly Working on a Feature That Will Let Users Mention Contacts in Status Updates

WhatsApp for Android is getting a new feature that will allow users to mention others on their status updates, as per a feature tracker. The status update mentions feature is said to be private, so only the uploader and the users mentioned will be able to see it. The functionality of the feature is said to be similar to Instagram Stories, where the mentioned user is n...

Adobe Introduces New Acrobat AI Assistant Student Plan at an Affordable Price

Adobe announced a new student-focused discount for Acrobat AI Assistant, the generative artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot for the Acrobat platform, on Monday. It was first introduced in April for all users, but now the company is offering it to students at an affordable price. The AI chatbot can process any compatible document and answer queries based on it. It can...

Microsoft 365 Copilot Pages, New AI Capabilities in Apps and Copilot Agents Rolled Out

Microsoft 365 Copilot, the rebranded name for the enterprise-focused version of the artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot is getting new features. Announced on Monday, the tech giant is rolling out various improvements in Microsoft 365 apps as well as a new Copilot Page feature. The latter is a multiplayer AI feature which allows different users to collaborate over a p...

Disney+ Hotstar Introduces New AI Video Optimisation Tool to Offer Data-Efficient Viewing Experience

Disney+ Hotstar, the over-the-top (OTT) platform, introduced a new artificial intelligence (AI) tool on Monday that will improve the user experience. The streaming giant claimed that the AI tool will optimise video streaming so that less data is consumed while keeping the quality of the video unchanged. The new feature will also make it more data-efficient to download...

Meta to Start Training Its AI on Public Data of Facebook, Instagram Users in the UK

Meta confirmed on Friday that it will begin training its artificial intelligence (AI) models on the public data on Instagram and Facebook in the UK. The company first planned to use this data three months ago, however, the plan was halted due to regulatory concerns. However, the social media giant confirmed that it has now received the nod to proceed with the AI train...

Adobe Express Expands Its Platform in Eight Indian Languages, Adds New AI Features

Adobe Express, the content creation platform, was expanded in eight Indian languages on Friday. The company said this move will empower more native language speakers in the content creation process. The platform also offers generative artificial intelligence (AI) features, which users can take advantage of. Notably, the language expansion is available across the deskt...

Gemini Live With Multiple Voices Reportedly Rolling Out to Free Gemini Users on Android

Gemini Live, the two-way conversational artificial intelligence (AI) feature by Google, is reportedly rolling out to Gemini free users on Android. The voice mode was first unveiled during Google I/O in May, and was rolled out to Gemini Advanced users last week. However, a new report claims that the feature is now being expanded to all users of Gemini on Android.

Google Chrome Safety Check Update Brings One-Tap Unsubscribe from Notifications and Other Features

Google Chrome is getting new features that aim to improve the protection against online threats and have better control over their privacy. The revamped Safety Check feature will now notify users of potential security issues and take actions such as revoking permissions and flagging unwanted notifications on their behalf.

Gemini Receiving Gems on the Mobile App Along With Redesigned Home Page

Gemini app for iOS and Android is getting artificial intelligence (AI) agents dubbed Gems. These custom chatbots were first released to users on the web version of Gemini in August. The company is now rolling them out on the mobile app as well, allowing users to create and use chatbots designed for specific purposes. Alongside adding Gems, Google has also redesigned t...

Google API’s New Feature Allows Developers to Force App Downloads Through Play Store

Android has rolled out an API for developers which allows them to have more control over how their apps are downloaded, according to a report. The API – dubbed “Play Integrity” – is said to carry a new functionality that forces users to only download the app through the Google Play Store, effectively blocking sideloading.

Google Chrome Is Getting Three New AI-Powered Features to Make Accessing Tabs Easier

Google Chrome is getting three new artificial intelligence (AI) features that will help users with managing tabs. On Tuesday, the Mountain View-based tech giant announced a new feature for Chrome for iOS and two features across devices. The company stated that these features are all powered by Google AI. Interestingly, these arrive just a week after Google announced t...

Bumble Plans to Introduce New AI-Powered Features Including Photo Picker: Report

Bumble, the popular dating app, is reportedly working on new artificial intelligence (AI) features. As per a report, the company CEO revealed on Monday that the plan is to integrate AI features at a deeper level assisting users with the profile creation process and starting conversations with new matches. These plans were reportedly discussed during Goldman Sachs’ a...

Google Rolls Out App Access Risk Feature to Keep Users Safe From Dangerous Apps: Report

Google has introduced a new feature for developers to safeguard user data against risky applications that may capture a user's screen content or control device actions, prompting the user to close such apps.

Google One Lite Plan With Affordable Pricing Is Rolling Out in India to Some Users

Google One Lite plan, a new subscription tier for the Mountain View-based tech giant’s cloud storage bundle service, has been spotted for some users in India. The new subscription tier is priced cheaper than the Basic tier, which was previously the cheapest entry to the Google One subscription. The subscription plan offers just free cloud storage and no other benefi...

Google Loses Fight Against $2.7 Billion EU Antitrust Fine

Google on Tuesday lost its fight against a 2.42 billion euro ($2.7 billion or roughly Rs. 22,673 crore) fine levied by EU antitrust regulators seven years ago. CJEU judges noted that EU law does not sanction the existence of a dominant position, but its abusive exploitation.

Google's Antitrust Trial Over Online Advertising Set to Begin

Google will face US antitrust prosecutors on Monday where the Justice Department will seek to show the company stifled competition in online advertising technology. Prosecutors say Google engaged in a complex scheme to dominate website advertising tools.

WhatsApp Third-Party Chats Feature That Will Allow Sending Messages to Other Apps Will Soon Be Rolled Out

WhatsApp will soon start supporting third-party chats allowing users to send and receive messages. The announcement was made by the instant messaging platform’s parent company Meta last week. The company said the decision to make the app interoperable was made after the European Union brought the Digital Markets Act (DMA) into force in 2022. Earlier, Meta asked for ...

Google Photos Updated With Descriptive Queries Feature for Improved Search Experience

Google Photos introduced a new feature that will make searching for specific photos and videos easier. On Thursday, the Mountain View-based tech giant announced Descriptive Queries, an improvement for the native search functionality of the app. With this, users can type a query in everyday language and find more specific results. This feature is being rolled out to al...

Google Photos Getting a Gemini-Powered Ask Photos Feature in Early Access

Google Photos is getting a couple of improvements, including a new artificial intelligence (AI) feature, the tech giant announced on Thursday. The photo gallery app is now getting an Ask Photos feature that will allow users to search for specific images by sending a conversational query to Gemini. Additionally, the platform is also getting a ‘descriptive queries’ ...

YouTube Stops Recommending Videos About Weight, Physical Appearance to Teens; Adds New Supervision Feature

YouTube is improving the safeguards of its platform to make it a better experience for minor users. On Thursday, the video-streaming giant announced that it will restrict video recommendations about body weight, fitness, and physical appearance to teenagers. The company said that the decision was made after the suggestions provided by an advisory committee.

Gemini 'Upload and Analyse Files' Feature Rolls Out to Specific Google Users

Gemini is getting a new artificial intelligence (AI) feature that will allow users to upload and analyse files within the mobile app. Recently, Google rolled out the Gmail Q&A feature on Android devices which is powered by Gemini, and now, the Gemini app itself is getting a feature dubbed Upload and Analyse Files.

Gemini Live Two-Way Voice Conversations Feature Rolled Out to Gemini Advanced Users

Gemini Live, Google’s two-way voice conversation feature for its artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot is now rolling out to a larger number of users. The feature was first unveiled at Google I/O earlier this year. It allows users to have a natural and free-flowing conversation with Gemini, without needing to type prompts or reading the responses.

Opera Browser for Android Adds AI-Powered Image Understanding Feature to the Aria AI Assistant

Opera browser for Android is getting a new artificial intelligence (AI) feature that will let users run search queries about images. The feature is being integrated within Aria, the browser’s native AI assistant, as a part of the company’s AI Feature Drop programme. The feature will be available in the Opera Developer build of the Android browser.

YouTube Shorts Gets New Feature That Lets Creators Add Text, Filters to Thumbnails

YouTube has introduced new creator tools for Shorts on Android and iOS platforms. With this feature, creators can now customise the thumbnails of their short videos by tweaking them with text, filters and emojis. Additionally, it is now giving them more choices when choosing thumbnails, even after YouTube Shorts are uploaded.

Instagram Rolls Out New Comments Feature for Stories With 24-Hour Visibility

Instagram is rolling out a new comments feature for Stories, Meta Platforms CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced on Tuesday. With its addition, users will be able to leave comments on Instagram Stories that will be publicly visible for a limited duration. This development builds upon recent feature rollouts on the social media platform, including new fonts and text animation...

Snap to Focus on Ads Business, AR Amid Poor Stock Performance

Snap is set to lay its focus on boosting advertising business and work around AR, as confirmed by CEO Evan Spiegel. The announcement comes amid a challenging period for the Snapchat owner, as it contends with major social media players.

Google Pixel Phones With Temperature Sensor Get Support for Body Temperature Measurement in Europe

Google Pixel users in Europe will now be able to measure their body temperature. This feature works by leveraging the Pixel Thermometer app and the temperature sensor that Google introduced with its Pixel 8 Pro last year. The sensor is also available in the new Pixel 9 Pro lineup. While its capabilities were initially limited to measuring the temperature of objects, t...

UPI Circle Feature With Access to Secondary User Payments Rolled Out in India by NPCI

UPI Circle, the latest innovation in Unified Payments Interface (UPI) was rolled out by the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) last week. The feature allows UPI users to enable trusted people by letting them have access to their accounts. This way, those even without a UPI account can make transactions with the payment instrument.

Apple Set for Music, TV Streaming Fight in India After Airtel Deal

Apple, working to boost revenue globally from services including apps, payments and media, is set to offer free music and video streaming to many of Bharti Airtel's 281 million customers. Airtel will pay Apple a per-user fee "significantly" lower than the monthly $1.20 (roughly Rs. 100) charged each for Apple TV+ and Apple Music in India,

WhatsApp for Android Meta AI Voice Mode Feature’s New Interface Reportedly Spotted

WhatsApp for Android is reported to soon get a new feature for the in-app artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot Meta AI. As per a WhatsApp feature tracker, the instant messaging platform is working on adding a Voice Mode to Meta AI that will allow users to have a two-way conversation with the chatbot.

Google Play Store Now Supports Three App Downloads and Updates Simultaneously on Android

Android users are set to benefit from a Google Play Store change that aims to enhance the entire app download and updating process. Following this change, the store can download up to three apps or app updates simultaneously. It builds upon the functionality that the platform introduced in April, which allowed users to download up to two apps at once on their handsets...

Gemini Live Integration for Android Auto Reportedly In the Works

Gemini Live is reportedly being added to Android Auto and could become its default virtual assistant. Last month, Google launched Gemini Live which would let users have a voice-based two-way communication with the AI. Currently, the feature is available via the Gemini app, however, it appears that the tech giant might be expanding it to other platforms. Notably, Gemin...