Lauren Forristal

Lauren covers media, streaming, apps and platforms at TechCrunch.

The Latest from Lauren Forristal

YouTube Music Recap is no Spotify Wrapped, but it’s still pretty fun

While Apple Music Replay fails to live up to Spotify Wrapped, YouTube Music’s 2023 Recap offers a personalized and interactive experience. YouTube Music introduced three new features this year &#821

TikTok launches dedicated account tags for artists and new promotional tools

TikTok announced today the “Artist Account” or “shop window” for followers to see musicians’ songs, learn about upcoming releases and get an inside look into their creative process. The vide

Here’s your reminder that Google is deleting inactive accounts tomorrow

As Google ramps up its security measures, the company is deleting inactive accounts that haven’t been touched for two years as a way of protecting users from security threats, such as identity theft

As Google Drive struggles with missing files bug, it redesigns its homepage to find files faster

Google Drive is rolling out a new homepage that aims to make it easier and faster for you to find files, even as the company is facing an issue that saw files go missing from users’ drives. Goog

Netflix gets a major win with GTA: The Trilogy coming to its mobile games roster

With a Grand Theft Auto 6 trailer on the horizon, Netflix just got its hands on Rockstar Games’ Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy — The Definitive Edition, the company announced today. GTA: The Trilog

10 subscription boxes we recommend gifting this holiday season

It’s that time of year again when we feel pressured to come up with new and exciting ways to surprise our friends and family with gifts they’ll appreciate. If you’re reading this and are already

Google Meet can now detect when you raise your hand IRL

Google launched its hand gesture detection feature on Google Meet that recognizes when your physical hand is raised and triggers the hand raise icon to notify participants in the video call that you h

Off/Script launches an app to create and buy AI-designed fashion

Founders of a new community-powered product creation platform, Off/Script, are making a huge bet on AI-designed merchandise. Created by Jonathan Brun and Justine Massicotte, the company today announce

Powder, an AI clipping tool for gaming, can detect when a creator yells during a stream

Powder, AI-powered clipping software that takes highlights from gaming streams and turns them into short-form videos, will soon be able to detect shouting for gamers to create even better montages. Th

Wattpad Premium subscribers now have access to 5 free monthly Wattpad Originals

Wattpad announced today “Premium Picks,” a new offering that gives Premium and Premium+ subscribers monthly access to five free Wattpad Originals — the recently launched freemium model where sel

Bazooka Tango nabs $5M to develop tactical collectible card game ‘Shardbound’

Bazooka Tango — a gaming studio founded by former Rockstar and Riot developers — raised $5 million in a funding round led by BITKRAFT Ventures. The proceeds will be put toward Shardbound, the upco

CreateSafe, the company behind Grimes’ voice cloning tool, launches new AI tools

After a song using AI deepfakes of Drake and the Weeknd’s voices was taken down after becoming a viral hit, Grimes shocked the public when she tweeted that she would split 50% of the revenue with an

Anthym helps colleagues form workplace connections through music

Anthym, a platform for employees to connect through personal memories and music taste, launched its latest product to make the onboarding process feel more personable for new hires. Dubbed “Welcome,

iPhone 14 users get an additional free year of Apple’s Emergency SOS via satellite feature

Apple today announced it’s giving iPhone 14 users one more free year of its satellite-based Emergency SOS features. When the company initially announced the safety service, iPhone 14 customers r

Mindful drinking app Sunnyside lands $11.5M to launch its AI-powered coach

“Sober curious” and “mindful drinking” have become popular terms in recent years, with 47% of the U.S. adult population wanting to cut back on alcohol. Sunnyside, the app promo

Amazon introduces new Buy with Prime perks, such as tracking and returns

Amazon’s Buy with Prime, a service that lets Prime members shop directly from third-party merchants and get Prime benefits like free shipping and returns, launched today new features, including the

Baton, a music collaboration platform for unreleased material, raises $4.2M

Music startup Baton secured $4.2 million in funding, the company announced today. Baton will use the new capital to further develop its product, grow its team and roll out new features. Baton —

Dating app Hatched brings its hidden profile concept to the East Coast, launches new paid features

Sometimes, online dating isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. Hatched wants to scramble it up with its unique gamified user experience. Instead of using profile pictures, the dating app shows potentia

Y Combinator-backed Ole delivers luxury fashion items in 50 minutes

Ole (pronounced “o-lay”), an on-demand fashion app that promises to deliver designer clothing to you in less than an hour, recently closed a $1.5 million funding round, the company exclusively tol

SiriusXM unveils new streaming app, set to launch next month

During SiriusXM’s “Next Generation” event in New York, the company announced its revamped SiriusXM streaming app, which features an upgraded media player, improved search capabilities, a customi
Load More