Sarah Perez
Reporter
The Latest from Sarah Perez
Apple allocates its first $400M from $2.5B commitment to address California’s housing crisis
Apple announced this morning it’s allocating more than $400 million toward affordable housing projects and other homeowner assistance programs in California, as a part of its earlier multiyear p
This Week in Apps: US ponders TikTok ban, apps see a record Q2, iOS 14 public beta arrives
This week we dig into the news of a possible TikTok ban in the U.S. Also, both Android and iOS saw beta launches. We also look at the coronavirus' impact on the app economy in Q2, and more.
TikTok likes and views are broken as community worries over potential US ban
TikTok likes and views are broken for some unknown portion of the video app’s user base this afternoon. The impacted users are seeing a “zero” like count on TikTok posts, including t
Apple expands its free coding courses and materials for educators
Apple today announced its plans for a new, free resource aimed at helping educators of all skill levels gain the ability to teach both Swift and Xcode — the latest in Apple’s educational i
Coronavirus impact sends app downloads, usage and consumer spending to record highs in Q2
As the world continued to cope with the impact of the coronavirus outbreak, the second quarter of 2020 became the largest yet for mobile app downloads, usage and consumer spending. According to new da
YouTube Kids app is now available on Amazon Fire TV
YouTube Kids, the family-friendly version of YouTube with built-in parental controls and a curated selection of kids content, is now available on Amazon’s Fire TV. The app’s arrival comes
Amazon US sellers will have to display their name and address starting Sept. 1, 2020
Amazon on Wednesday informed its U.S. sellers they will soon have to display their business name and address on their Amazon.com seller profile page. For individual sellers, this will include the indi
K4Connect, a startup bringing tech to senior living centers, closes its $21M Series B
K4Connect, a startup focused on bringing new technologies like voice assistance, home automation, digital messaging and more to older adults and those living with disabilities, has closed on $21 milli
Tinder now testing video chat in select markets, including US
Tinder announced this morning it will begin to test video chat in its mobile dating app with some members in select worldwide markets, including in the U.S. The feature, which allows Tinder matches to
Spotify’s new personalized playlists are designed for your workouts
Spotify is adding to its collection of personalized playlists with a new feature aimed at those who like fresh music for their workouts. But unlike its flagship offering, “Discover Weekly,”
Amazon Fire TV now pulls in live TV content from Sling TV, YouTube TV and Hulu + Live TV
Amazon is upgrading its Fire TV’s live TV experience through new integrations with several live TV streaming services, including Sling TV, YouTube TV, and Hulu + Live TV. Live content from these
Amazon adds ‘hands-free’ Alexa to its Alexa mobile app
Amazon is making it easier for mobile users to access its Alexa virtual assistant while on the go. The company announced today it’s making it possible to use Alexa “hands free” from
Amazon Prime Video finally launches user profiles to all customers worldwide
Amazon’s Prime Video is finally adding a feature that’s long since become a standard for streaming video services: user profiles. With profiles, Prime Video users will have access to their
Instagram swaps out its ‘Activity’ tab for ‘Shop’ in new global test
Instagram today is starting a small global test of the Instagram Shop tab, first announced this May, which allows Instagram users to shop from top brands and creators via a new tab in the app’s
US online grocery sales hit record $7.2 billion in June
Despite the slow reopening of the U.S. economy over the past several weeks, online grocery shopping is continuing to reach ever-higher numbers as Americans seem to be in no rush to return to the store
Instagram Reels tested in India following TikTok’s ban
In the wake of India’s decision to ban TikTok and dozens of other Chinese apps over privacy concerns, Instagram has expanded its TikTok rival, known as Reels, in the region. The test in India al
‘Hamilton’ gives Disney+ a holiday weekend bump in US, with app downloads up 74%
The much-anticipated addition of “Hamilton” seems to have paid off for Disney+. According to new data from app store analytics firm Apptopia, Disney’s streaming service saw a big jum
This Week in Apps: India bans Chinese apps, Apple freezes game updates in China, iOS developer backlash continues
Welcome back to This Week in Apps, the Extra Crunch 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,
Apple launches an online portal for Apple Card account holders
Apple today has launched an online portal for its Apple Card credit card, allowing account holders to manage their balances, view statements, schedule payments and more. The portal, card.apple.com, wi
Facebook discovers it shared user data with at least 5,000 app developers after a cutoff date
Facebook says it accidentally allowed around 5,000 developers to access data from their app’s inactive users, even though that access should have been cut off. The company explained on Wednesday