Sarah Perez
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The Latest from Sarah Perez
Google winds down feature that put playable podcasts directly in search results
Google confirmed it’s putting an end to a feature that allowed users to access playable podcasts directly from the Google Search results in favor of offering podcast recommendations. Officially
Microsoft’s Edge web browser gets ChatGPT-like features
At a Microsoft press event today where the company demonstrated its new AI-powered search capabilities in Bing, the company also announced a new version of its Edge web browser that includes AI techno
TikTok is crushing YouTube in annual study of kids’ and teens’ app usage
For another year in a row, TikTok has found itself as the social app kids and teens are spending the most time using throughout the day, even outpacing YouTube. According to an ongoing annual review o
Quora opens its new AI chatbot app Poe to the general public
Q&A platform Quora has opened up public access to its new AI chatbot app, Poe, which lets users ask questions and get answers from a range of AI chatbots, including those from ChatGPT maker, OpenA
Zenly co-founder returns with new social app company, Amo
Last year, Snap shut down Zenly, a popular social mapping app it acquired for over $200 million in 2017, despite the fact that Zenly still had 40 million active users and growing. Users were understan
This Week in Apps: Instagram’s founders’ new app, another Twitter rival, Biden admin criticizes app stores
This Week in Apps offers a way to keep up with this fast-moving industry in one place with the latest from the world of apps, including news, updates, startup fundings, M&As and more.
Is Instagram considering paid verification? Code reveals references to a ‘paid blue badge’
New references in Instagram’s code suggest the company could be developing a paid verification feature following the rollout of a similar system at Twitter under Elon Musk. Recently discovered c
TikTok introduces a strike system for violations, tests a feature to ‘refresh’ the For You feed
TikTok today is announcing several changes to its service, including what it claims will be increased enforcement against bad actors as well as tests of new user-facing tools that will force a refresh
The Biden administration says Apple’s and Google’s app stores are stifling competition
The Biden administration is calling out Apple’s and Google’s app stores for stifling competition. A new report, issued on Wednesday by the Commerce Department’s National Telecommunic
Damus, another decentralized social networking app, arrives to take on Twitter
Another decentralized social networking application to challenge Twitter has hit the App Store. Last year, Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey donated around $245,000 in bitcoin (then roughly 14 BTC) to fu
Snap hints at future AR glasses powered by generative AI
Social media company and Snapchat maker Snap has for years defined itself as a “camera company,” despite its failures to turn its photo-and-video recording glasses known as Spectacles into
Spotify’s test of a Friends tab on mobile hints at expanded social ambitions
Spotify’s success with Wrapped, its year-end review, designed for social sharing, may be pushing the company toward building more social experiences directly into its mobile app. The company for
Instagram’s co-founders introduce a new social app…for news reading
Can lightning strike twice? That’s apparently the question being raised today with the public introduction of the next social app built by Instagram’s co-founders, Kevin Systrom and Mike K
Spotify’s third-party billing option has now reached over 140 global markets
In its fourth-quarter earnings, Spotify announced today its User Choice Billing program has now expanded to more than 140 markets worldwide, allowing the streaming music service to reduce the commissi
Amid growing competition, Paramount+ and Showtime are combining in the US
Nearly a year after ViacomCBS announced its rebrand to become Paramount, the company is now making a major change to its portfolio with today’s news that it will be fully integrating Showtime i
Rewind’s new app lets you ‘time travel’ through music from decades past
A new app called Rewind wants to make it easier for music fans to explore the top songs of decades past. Hoping to cater to consumer demand for nostalgic music experiences, Rewind allows users to R
Meta is killing Move, another experimental social app from its in-house incubator NPE Team
Meta is killing off yet another project from its in-house R&D group, the NPE Team, following the company’s sizable layoffs announced in November, impacting 13% of its workforce. The latest e
This Week in Apps: Temu’s hot streak, Walmart’s m-commerce & an Apple XR App Store
Welcome back to This Week in Apps, the weekly TechCrunch series that recaps the latest in mobile OS news, mobile applications and the overall app economy. The app economy in 2023 hit a few snags, as c
Twitter co-founder Biz Stone joins board of audiovisual startup Chroma
Chroma, a startup working to build a new type of audiovisual entertainment specifically for mobile devices, is now adding a Twitter co-founder to its board. The company announced today that Twitter an
Hands on with Walmart’s new (but buggy) ‘Text to Shop’ feature
Walmart recently introduced a new way to shop: via text. Last month, the retail giant launched its “Text to Shop” experience which allows mobile consumers across both iOS and Android devic