Sarah Perez
Reporter
The Latest from Sarah Perez
Despite pandemic, forecasts predict US online holiday sales increase of 20%-30% or more
Strong e-commerce sales are predicted to help lift overall holiday retail spending in the U.S., according to forecasts released today by the National Retail Federation (NRF) and eMarketer. Both firms
Facebook launches ‘Drives,’ a US-only feature for collecting food, clothing and other necessities for people in need
Facebook today is introducing a new feature that will allow users in the U.S. to collect food, clothing and other necessities for people in need. The feature, called “Drives,” is being mad
Google brings ‘The Mandalorian’ to AR in its new app
Google has teamed up with Disney and Lucasfilm to bring the Star Wars streaming series “The Mandalorian” to augmented reality. The company announced this morning the launch of a new Androi
Snapchat launches a TikTok-like feed called Spotlight, kick-started by paying creators
After taking on TikTok with music-powered features last month, Snapchat this morning is officially launching a dedicated place within its app where users can watch short, entertaining videos in a vert
This Week in Apps: Apple slashes commissions, Twitter launches Fleets, warnings about Parler
Welcome back to This Week in Apps, the TechCrunch series that recaps the latest OS news, the applications they support and the money that flows through it all. The app industry is as hot as ever, wi
Facebook sues operator of Instagram clone sites
Facebook has today filed another lawsuit against a company acting in violations of its terms of service. In this case, the company has sued Ensar Sahinturk, a Turkish national who operated a network o
Google rolls out iOS widgets for Gmail, Drive and Fit; says Calendar and Chrome coming soon
Google has updated its flagship iPhone apps with support for home screen widgets, a new feature of iOS 14. The company announced today it’s rolling out new widgets for Gmail, Google Drive, Googl
PayPal launches a new crowdsourced fundraising platform, the Generosity Network
PayPal is expanding its fundraising efforts with today’s launch of the Generosity Network. Unlike the PayPal Giving Fund, which helps people support charities through online donations, the new G
Instagram revamps its mobile messaging app Threads
Instagram is continuing to develop its standalone messaging app, Threads. Last month, the company modified the app to make it possible for users to message everyone, instead of just “close frien
Apple embraces iOS 14 home screen customization by fixing how app shortcuts work
Apple is making a change to how app shortcuts work in the next release of the iOS 14 operating system. In iOS 14.3 beta 2, the Shortcuts app will now no longer open when you tap on an app shortcut on
Amazon brings Alexa Routines to Fire TV
Amazon announced today it’s bringing Alexa Routines — the feature that allows users to create their own Alexa shortcuts that combine multiple actions — to its Fire TV platform. Start
Facebook launches E.gg, an experimental collage making app
Facebook’s internal R&D group, NPE Team, has today officially launched its latest app, E.gg, to a broader audience. The app, a freeform creation tool described as a “digital zine creat
Marissa Mayer’s startup launches its first official product, Sunshine Contacts
Former Yahoo CEO and early Google employee Marissa Mayer’s startup Lumi Labs is today rebranding to Sunshine and releasing its first official product. Its new app, Sunshine Contacts, aims to be
Apple dropping App Store fees to 15% for users with under $1 million in revenues
Amid increased regulatory scrutiny over how it runs its App Store, Apple today announced it will reduce the App Store commissions for smaller businesses. Under the new guidelines of the “App Sto
Twitter’s new Stories feature ‘Fleets’ is struggling under the load
Twitter’s new Stories feature, “Fleets,” appears to be struggling under the load. Launched this morning to Twitter’s global user base, Fleets appear at the top of the Twitter a
Facebook’s Messenger Kids app redesigned to look more like Messenger
Facebook today is rolling out an updated version of its Messenger Kids app with the goal of making it easier for kids to interact with their friends and family, navigate the app and personalize their
Instagram expands new ‘Guides’ feature to all users, upgrades Search
Earlier this year, Instagram launched a new feature called “Guides,” which allowed creators to share tips, resources and other longer-form content in a dedicated tab on their user profiles
Twitter rolls out Stories, aka ‘Fleets,’ to all users; will also test a Clubhouse rival
Twitter this morning is launching its own version of Stories — aka “Fleets” — to its global user base. The product, which allows users to post ephemeral content that disappears
TikTok expands parental controls to include search, commenting and account privacy
TikTok today announced it’s expanding its parental control feature set known as Family Pairing to give parents additional tools to manage various aspects of their teen’s account as well as
You can now embed Apple Podcasts on the web
Apple is making it easier to discover and listen to podcasts via the web. The company announced today an Apple Podcasts embed web player is now available, allowing anyone — including creators, l