Apple Adds Age Assurance Features for Improved Privacy, Revamps Child Account Setup Process

Apple has announced that it is streamlining the setup of Child Accounts and enhancing parental control features. The company aims to minimize data collection by developers while verifying app users' ages. Apple will introduce additional age categories for ratings, ensuring precise categorisation for apps designed for younger users. Developers will also be required to ...

Microsoft Copilot App for macOS Released; iPhone and iPad Apps Get Updates

Microsoft finally launched its Copilot app for macOS on Thursday. The Redmond-based tech giant had previously launched the artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot platform for iOS and iPadOS, and now Mac users will also be able to access the app natively. Similar to OpenAI’s ChatGPT app for Mac, users can activate Microsoft's AI chatbot with a shortcut command.

OpenAI Introduces GPT-4.5 AI Model in Research Preview, Its ‘Best Model for Chat Yet’

OpenAI released a research preview of GPT-4.5 artificial intelligence (AI) model on Thursday. The successor to the GPT-4o model arrives with improvements in natural conversations, reasoning, and coding. Calling it “our largest and best model for chat yet,” the AI firm highlighted that the company scaled up both pre-training and post-training with this model.

DeepSeek Rushes to Launch New AI Model as China Goes All In

Deepseek is accelerating the launch of the successor to January's R1 model, according to three people familiar with the company. The company says it hopes the new model will produce better coding and be able to reason in languages beyond English.

Amazon Introduces AI-Powered Alexa+ With Upgraded Capabilities, to Roll Out Next Month

Amazon finally introduced the artificial intelligence (AI) version of its voice assistant on Wednesday. Dubbed Alexa+, it now comes with contextual understanding, can better control smart home appliances, is personalised to a user’s behaviour, and also gets agentic capabilities. Alexa+ will be available as a standalone service as well as bundled with Amazon Prime su...

WhatsApp Reportedly Developing UPI Lite Functionality for Quick Low-Value Transactions

WhatsApp may be developing a UPI Lite functionality for users, according to a report. It is speculated to simplify the payment process by enabling them to carry out transactions without entering the PIN. Similar to other platforms, WhatsApp’s in-development feature was spotted following an APK teardown of a beta version of the app and it may work for low-value trans...

Adobe Photoshop App for iPhone With Firefly-Powered Generative Fill Announced

Adobe Photoshop app was launched on Tuesday for iPhone users globally. It takes some of the most nifty editing features provided by the US-based software company in its desktop application and brings them to its iOS app, enabling a mobile editing experience. Users can take advantage of artificial intelligence (AI) features such as Generative Fill and Generative Expand...

Microsoft Testing a Free, Ad-Supported Version of Microsoft 365 Desktop Apps

Microsoft is testing an ad-supported free tier for the Microsoft 365 Copilot or Office apps. Typically, these apps are only accessible to those who purchase the Microsoft 365 subscription. However, some users are now seeing an option to opt for a free version that offers limited features and ads. Currently, the Redmond-based tech giant is only offering three apps, Wor...

Airtel and Apple Partner to Bring Apple TV+, Apple Music Services to Postpaid and Wi-Fi Users

Bharti Airtel announced a strategic partnership with Apple on Monday to bring access to Apple TV+ to its home Wi-Fi and postpaid users. The telecom service provider said that all Airtel Xstream Fiber users and postpaid mobile users can now access the entire content library of the Apple TV+ on opting for plans starting at Rs. 999.

Apple Vision Pro to Get Apple Intelligence Support, Spatial Gallery App With visionOS 2.4 in April

Apple Vision Pro will be updated with Apple Intelligence features in April, as announced on Friday. The mixed reality headset will receive these AI features with the next visionOS update. Apple is also introducing a new Spatial Gallery app for curated content and an iPhone app to manage app downloads on the Vision Pro. Additionally, a Guest User mode will allow the he...

Google Pay Reportedly Levies Convenience Fees on Bill Payments via Credit and Debit Cards

Google Pay is now levying convenience fees on bill payments made via credit and debit cards, according to a report. Until now, the unified payments interface (UPI) platform was charging users Rs. 3 as a service fee on mobile recharges. However, it will now reportedly also levy a charge, in addition to the goods and service tax (GST), on utility bill payments for servi...

WhatsApp Faces EU Tech Rules After Reaching Very Large Platform Status

WhatsApp has hit a user criterion set out in landmark EU tech rules, the unit owned by Meta Platforms said, meaning it is required to do more to tackle online illegal and harmful content.

Instagram Rolls Out Testimonials Which Lets Creators Get Paid by Writing Endorsements

Instagram on Thursday announced a new avenue for creators to earn money through partnership advertisements called Testimonials. It is a type of content which a brand posts in collaboration with a creator for the promotion for a product or service. Such ads are featured on the creator’s Instagram handle in the form of videos or written-only text. The social media pla...

Amazon Appstore for Android to Shut Down in August; Amazon Coins to Be Discontinued

Amazon Appstore will be discontinued later this year, 14 years after it was launched for Android devices. Alongside this, Amazon will also wind down its Amazon Coins digital currency programme used for app purchases. While the app store won’t be available for download on Android devices, it will continue to function on Amazon's own devices, including Fire tablets an...

Google Chrome for iOS Is Getting a ‘Search Screen with Google Lens’ Feature

Google Chrome and the Google app for iOS are getting a new visual lookup feature. Announced on Wednesday, the new feature uses Google Lens to let users run visual queries on whatever is visible on the screen. The new search feature works similarly to Circle to Search which uses artificial intelligence (AI) to let users perform several actions such as looking up elemen...

Instagram Rolls Out Message Translation, Easy Music Sharing and More for DMs

Instagram on Wednesday announced new features for direct messages (DMs). It adds the capability of translating messages in different languages in 1:1 chats, enables users to schedule messages, and makes it easier to share music with others without leaving the chat window. And while Instagram previously allowed users to pin up to three chat threads at the top of the DM...

Apple’s AI-Powered Image Playground App Reportedly Has Bias Issues

Apple’s Image Playground app is said to have some bias issues. A machine learning scientist recently shared several outputs generated using the artificial intelligence (AI) app and claimed that it contained incorrect skin tone and hair texture on several occasions. These inaccuracies were also said to be paired with specific racial stereotypes, adding to the problem...

OnePlus 13 Partners Instagram to Add Night Mode to In-App Camera

OnePlus 13 users can now utilise Night Mode from the built-in camera app while capturing images on Instagram. The smartphone maker worked with Instagram to bring this low-light photography feature to the platform. Users can now take better photos in low light without switching apps. The company has yet to announce whether this feature will be available on its other ha...

Google Reportedly Teases New Features to Gemini Advanced Users, Removes Older Gemini 1.5 Models

Google teased several new artificial intelligence (AI) features to Gemini Advanced subscribers on Tuesday. As per the report, these features include an AI video generation tool as well as agentic tools. However, there is no news on when these features could be shipped to users. Meanwhile, the Mountain View-based tech giant is said to be rolling out the Gemini 2.0 Pro ...

Google App Reportedly Prepares New Shortcut Ahead of New Search 'AI Mode'

Google Search’s purported artificial intelligence (AI) mode could reportedly get a new icon. As per the report, a new icon resembling the Gemini Live feature was spotted in the latest beta of the Google app. This is said to be the new icon the Mountain View-based tech giant will use for the Search app’s AI-enabled interface.

Reliance Jio Offers Complimentary JioHotstar Subscription With Rs. 949 Prepaid Recharge Plan

Reliance Jio now offers a complimentary subscription to JioHotstar with one of its prepaid recharge plans. The new streaming platform was created by bringing together JioCinema and Disney+ Hotstar and was launched by JioStar last week. It combines the content library of the two over-the-top (OTT) platforms, in addition to hosting content from various international stu...

ICC Champions Trophy 2025 Live Streaming: How to Watch Pakistan vs New Zealand Match on Mobile and Smart TV for Free

The ICC Champions Trophy 2025 is here, and it will feature 15 matches in Pakistan and Dubai. Team India will have three matches in Dubai. The final will take place on March 9, 2025. Here’s everything you need to know about the ICC Champions Trophy live streaming details, India-centric match details, full schedule, and more.

Google Reportedly Working On a Conversation Summaries Feature for Gemini Live

Google is reportedly working on a new feature for Gemini Live, which will make it easier to track the conversations users have with the chatbot. As per the report, Google is developing a new conversation summaries button that will convert the two-way voice conversation into a comprehensive paragraph-style report with bullet points.

Spotify Music Pro Plan With AI Remixing, Exclusive Features in Development: Report

Spotify Music Pro is set to launch as a more expensive subscription tier, offering higher-quality audio streaming and AI-powered exclusive features, according to a Bloomberg report. Spotify is also negotiating with partners to provide concert ticket presales as part of this plan. Rivals like Tidal and Apple Music already offer lossless audio, and Spotify Music Pro cou...

OpenAI Board Rejects Elon Musk's $97.4 Billion Offer

OpenAI has rejected Elon Musk's bid for OpenAI. Musk's lawyer Marc Toberoff, in a statement, responded that OpenAI is putting control of the for-profit enterprise up for sale, and said the move will "enrich its certain board members rather than the charity.”

New Downloads of DeepSeek Suspended in South Korea, Data Protection Agency Says

New downloads of DeepSeek have temporarily been suspended in South Korea. The AI firm was not in compliance with certain personal data protection guidelines in the country, prompting the Personal Information Protection Commission (PIPC) to take the action.

Apple Reportedly Considering Monetising Maps App via Search Advertising

Apple is reportedly considering monetising its Maps app. As per a report, the Cupertino-based tech giant is planning to replicate Google Maps’ business model and offer search advertising to businesses. The company is said to prominently feature its clients in the Maps app’s search results. The tech giant is reportedly exploring this option to increase revenue gene...

SEBI Said to be Seeking Greater Access to Social Media Records

SEBI is seeking broader powers from the government to remove unauthorised financial advice from social media platforms. This is the second time since 2022 that the Securities and Exchange Board of India has sought such powers, with approval from the government still pending.

Reliance-Disney Said to Stop Completely Free IPL Cricket Streaming in India

The Reliance-Disney joint venture will no longer offer completely free streaming for IPL cricket matches. The decision to change the terms of streaming the Indian Premier League (IPL) comes after Indian billionaire Mukesh Ambani's Reliance and Walt Disney combined their India media assets in an $8.5 billion (roughly Rs. 73,787 crore) merger last year.

TikTok Returns on Apple, Google US App Stores as President Trump Delays Ban

US President Donald Trump has delayed a ban on TikTok. Owing to the development, the app has returned to the US app stores of Apple and Google. Although TikTok resumed service after Trump's assurances, Google and Apple kept the app removed from their US app stores.

Telegram Adds AI-Powered Custom Sticker Search and Video Improvements

Telegram added several new features to its platform on Thursday. The instant messaging platform is now expanding its artificial intelligence (AI) sticker search capability to show custom stickers created by the community. Additionally, there are several video-based upgrades. Users can now copy and share video links in the app with a specific time stamp. Telegram chann...

Apple TV for Android App Now Available on Google Play, to Allow Access to Apple Originals

The Apple TV app for Android devices is now available on Google Play. The Cupertino-based tech giant is also rolling out the Apple TV+ subscription and the Major League Soccer (MLS) Season Pass to Android users with the app. The streaming platform, which was launched in November 2019, arrived on Google TV in 2021, and nearly six years later has become available on And...

OpenAI Says it Does Not Use Indian Media Groups' Content to Train ChatGPT, Court Filing Shows

OpenAI is seeking to stop Indian media groups from joining a copyright lawsuit against it. The company has denied that it uses content from Indian media to train ChatGPT. The filing relates to a lawsuit by Indian news agency ANI last year, which alleges that ChatGPT uses its published content without permission to help train its AI chatbot.

WhatsApp for iOS Could Soon Get a Feature to Let Users Add Instagram Profile Links

WhatsApp is said to be working on a new feature for its iOS app that will allow users to add their Instagram profile links to their account. As per the claims by a feature tracker, the feature is aimed at letting users showcase their social media profiles in the same space to let their contacts easily connect with them.

Instagram Brings Teen Accounts With Additional Protections to Users in India

Instagram's Teen Accounts feature is being rolled out in India to improve the safety of younger users. It restricts account functionalities for underage users and requires parental consent for certain settings. Parents of users aged 16 and above can enable supervision features, and offensive words and phrases will be filtered out of messages and comments.

Microsoft Said to Be Adjusting Office-Teams Pricing to Avoid EU Antitrust Fine

Microsoft is mulling if it can widen the price difference between the software sold without the app and its Office product sold with Teams to avert a possible EU antitrust fine. The move comes five years after Salesforce-owned Slack complained to the European Commission about Microsoft's tying of Teams with Office.

How to Unlock the Butterflies Lens on Snapchat?

Snapchat's Butterflies Lens is a popular augmented reality effect that adds animated butterflies to your photos and videos, creating a whimsical and enchanting look. Unlocking this lens is easy and can be done in multiple ways. You can search for "Paper Butterflies" in the Lens Explorer, scan a Snapcode linked to the lens, or tap on the lens name when you see a friend...

South Korea Spy Agency Says DeepSeek 'Excessively' Collects Personal Data

The National Intelligence Service (NIS) said it sent an official notice to government agencies last week urging them to take security precautions over the DeepSeek Artificial Intelligence (AI) app.

Gemini With Imagen 3 Will Let Google Workspace Users Generate Images of People

Google Workspace users will now be able to generate images of people using Gemini, the company announced on Friday. The new capability is part of the Mountain View-based tech giant’s recent Workspace update that also adds a couple of other artificial intelligence (AI) features. Interestingly, the tech giant rolled back Gemini’s ability to generate images with peop...

TikTok to Let US Android Users Download App via Kits on its Website

Apple and Google have not reinstated TikTok to their app stores since a US law took effect on January 19 requiring its Chinese owner ByteDance either to sell it on national security grounds or face a ban.

Honor Announces Integration of DeepSeek-R1 AI Model With Yoyo Assistant in China

Honor, the Chinese smartphone brand, announced the integration of its Yoyo virtual assistant with the DeepSeek-R1 artificial intelligence (AI) model on Saturday. The company claimed to have become the first Android manufacturer to offer the AI model in its devices. With this, the company's native assistant will be able to tap into the capabilities of the reasoning mod...

Google Photos to Add SynthID AI Watermark to Images Enhanced With Magic Editor

Google Photos is getting a new functionality that will allow people to check whether an image was enhanced using artificial intelligence (AI) or not. Images edited using Reimagine in Magic Editor will be labelled using SynthID, a watermarking technology by the Mountain View-based tech giant. The label can be viewed within the “About this image” section of the imag...

Mistral Introduces Le Chat AI Assistant Apps on iOS and Android

Mistral released iOS and Android apps for its Le Chat artificial intelligence (AI) assistant on Thursday. The Paris-based AI firm’s chatbot was earlier available only as a web client but is now being pushed across more platforms. Powered by Mistral’s large language models (LLMs), Le Chat can answer general queries, perform web searches, accept multimodal input, ge...

Zepto, Skoda Partner to Offer Kylaq Test Drives in 10 Minutes in India

Zepto has partnered with German automaker Skoda’s Indian arm to offer test drives of its newest compact SUV in India, the Skoda Kylaq. The hyperlocal delivery platform has released a commercial teasing its new service which enables customers to experience test drives of the vehicles in just 10 minutes. This announcement comes amidst reports that Zepto will offer qui...

Zomato to Rebrand as 'Eternal', Unveils New Logo

Zomato has said that it will be rebranding the company to 'Eternal'. "We thought of publicly renaming the company when something beyond Zomato became a significant driver of our future," Founder Deepinder Goyal said in a letter to shareholders.

Dor Play App With Support for 20+ OTT Subscriptions, 300+ Live TV Channels Launched in India

Dor Play application was launched in India on Thursday for Android and iOS users by Streambox Media. The application offers access to more than 20 OTT platforms as well as over 300 live TV channels. Users can subscribe to the newly launched app instead of individually signing up for each streaming service or channel.

SparkCat Crypto Stealer Malware Infected Multiple Apps on Play Store, App Store

Security researchers have discovered several apps on the App Store and Google Play infected with the SparkCat crypto stealer malware. The apps contained a malicious SDK using optical character recognition (OCR) to steal "crypto wallet recovery phrases" from users' screenshots. Notably, this is the first time such cryptocurrency-stealing malware has been detected on Ap...

Google Expands Gemini 2.0 Rollout With Flash Thinking, Agentic and Pro Models

Google announced the availability of several Gemini 2.0 artificial intelligence (AI) models on Wednesday. The Mountain View-based tech giant is rolling out its Gemini 2.0 Flash Thinking Experimental AI model to mobile apps and the web client. Alongside this, an agentic version of the AI model is also being rolled out that can interact with certain apps.

Google's Quick Share Feature Updated With Ability to Continue Transfers Without Direct Connection

Google Quick Share has been updated with a feature that enables uninterrupted file transfers, previously exclusive to Samsung Galaxy smartphones. It allows file transfers even if the direct connection between sender and receiver is lost, using a mobile data or Wi-Fi connection to complete the transfer.

Meta to Show Labels for Ads That Have Been Significantly Edited Using AI Tools

Meta announced a new transparency tool for its social media platforms on Monday. The company will now start showing labels indicating that an ad has used artificial intelligence (AI) tools to edit images or videos. This new AI label will be shown on all the Meta platforms that display ads, including Facebook, Instagram, and Threads.

Adobe Acrobat AI Assistant Being Upgraded With a Contract Intelligence Feature

Adobe Acrobat’s artificial intelligence (AI) assistant is getting a new capability that will make it easier for users to get a quick breakdown of complex contracts. Announced on Tuesday, the new feature is called Contract Intelligence, and it adds a new workflow for the AI chatbot whenever a user opens a contract via Acrobat. The company says the feature can surface...

Apple Rolls Out Invites App for iPhone as a Way of Creating and Sharing Custom Invitations

Apple on Tuesday released its Invites app for iPhone as a new way of creating and sharing custom invitations with family and friends. While the ability to create them is restricted to users with iCloud+ subscriptions, anyone can RSVP, regardless of whether they have an Apple Account or Apple device. The Invites app allows them to share invitations, RSVP to shared even...

WhatsApp for Android Begins Testing Ability to Open View Once Media on Linked Devices

WhatsApp is developing a new feature for its Android app which lets users open a media file which has been set as ‘View Once’ on linked devices, according to claims by a feature tracker. It is said to be introduced with a recent update of the WhatsApp beta for Android app and is currently only available to beta testers.

Apple Raises Concern Over First Porn App on iPhone Under EU Rules

Apple has criticised a newly available porn app on its App Store in the EU. In the EU, Apple's gatekeeper status changed with the 2022 adoption of the Digital Markets Act (DMA), which required Apple to allow alternative app stores. One of those stores, called AltStore, has begun distributing an app called Hot Tub, which describes itself as "a private, secure, and eleg...

Gemini Extensions Will Now Work on the Lock Screen of Android Devices

Gemini extensions are now being expanded to function on the lock screen of Android devices. While Gemini could perform some tasks on the lock screen earlier, such as turning on the flashlight or setting an alarm, these were routed through Google Assistant. However, now the Mountain View-based tech giant has enabled extensions on the lock screen, allowing the artificia...

YouTube Expands Communities With Moderation Tools and New Features for Creators

YouTube on Friday announced the expansion of Communities to more creators. The feature was first announced at the Made by YouTube 2024 event as a dedicated space for increasing engagement between creators and subscribers. It adds the ability to interact with the owner of the channel by posting in a community, while other users can also react and respond to posts.

Signing Into Google Account Will Require Additional 2 Factor Authentication Verification: Report

Google has added another layer of verification as part of its two-factor authentication (2FA) which now appears when signing into the Google account on an unrecognised device, according to a report. This change is said to arrive with the most recent version of Google Play Services and thus, is currently limited to Android phones. It reportedly adds another verificatio...

Apple Will Reportedly Launch New iCloud-Based ‘Confetti’ Service for Event Invites This Week

Apple may roll out a dedicated service for events and invites as soon as this week, according to a recent newsletter published by Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. It is likely to be iCloud-based and could build upon the company’s recent ambitions of revamping its Calendar app. The new service is said to be tied to the Cupertino-based technology giant’s most recent update ...

Finance Minister Proposes ID Cards for Gig Workers, UPI-Linked Credit Cards for Street Vendors

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced in her Union Budget 2025 speech that gig workers will receive ID cards and healthcare access via a social security scheme. The government will invest in street vendors and online workers, providing identity cards and e-Shram portal registration. The PM SVANidhi scheme will be revamped with enhanced bank loans, UPI-linked c...