Sarah Perez
Reporter
The Latest from Sarah Perez
Spotify users are streaming again, but ad revenues still suffer due to COVID crisis
The COVID-19 pandemic’s continued impact on Spotify’s business was apparent in the results of the company’s Q2 2020 earnings today. On some fronts, Spotify had good news. As more use
Microsoft’s new Family Safety app offers parental controls across phones, PCs and Xbox
Microsoft’s new screen time and parental controls app, Microsoft Family Safety, is today launching publicly on iOS and Android, following a preview of the experience which had arrived earlier th
Facetune maker Lightricks brings its popular selfie retouching features to video
Lightricks, the startup behind a suite of photo and video editing apps — including most notably, selfie editor Facetune 2 — is taking its retouching capabilities to video. Today, the compa
Spotify’s new party mode feature, ‘Group Session,’ goes remote
Spotify announced today it’s updating its recently launched shared-queue feature, Group Session, to support remote usage. Essentially a “party mode,” the feature first debuted in M
Roblox jumps to over 150M monthly users, will pay out $250M to developers in 2020
Gaming platform Roblox, which has seen a surge of use due to the coronavirus pandemic, now has more than 150 million monthly active users, up from the 115 million it announced in February before the U
Apple and Oprah to debut a new interview series, ‘The Oprah Conversation’
Apple is expanding its relationship with media mogul Oprah Winfrey. The company announced today its plans for a new series, “The Oprah Conversation,” which will feature timely discussions
Top mobile apps see declines in consumer engagement amid increased competition
Mobile consumers are downloading and using more apps than ever before. According to recent data from App Annie, mobile users now have 93 apps on their phone as of the end of 2019, up from 85 apps at t
Amazon revamps its Alexa app to focus on first-party features, more personalization
After launching a number of new developer tools for Alexa last week, Amazon today is introducing an updated version of its Alexa mobile app for consumers. The new app aims to offer a more personalized
Walmart Marketplace seller additions surge following Shopify deal, up 3x from January
Walmart’s recent partnership with Shopify to expand its online marketplace appears to already be paying off. The retailer in June announced it was opening its marketplace to Shopify’s sm
This Week in Apps: Apple argues for commissions, ‘Find My’ NDA, Alexa to open apps
In this series, we help you keep up with the latest news from the world of apps, delivered on a weekly basis.
HBO Max reached 4.1M subscribers in first month, despite lack of distribution on Roku and Fire TV
HBO Max, the AT&T-owned streaming service that combines HBO with WarnerMedia content, now has 4.1 million subscribers who have activated their Max accounts since its launch on May 27. Combined, HB
Plex launches a live TV service with over 80 free channels, most available worldwide
Streaming media platform Plex announced today it’s further expanding into live TV with the addition of over 80 free live TV channels accessible by free users and subscribers alike. The company h
Pandora launches interactive voice ads into beta testing
Pandora is launching interactive voice ads into wider public testing, the company announced this morning. The music streaming service first introduced the new advertising format, where users verbally
Levitate raises $6M for its ‘keep-in-touch’ email marketing solution aimed at smaller businesses
Levitate, a Raleigh, North Carolina-based marketing platform and customer relationship solution provider, has raised an additional $6 million for its AI-powered software offering small businesses an a
Facebook tests a new Page design with a cleaner layout and no more ‘Like’ button
Facebook is testing a new design for Facebook Pages that will, among other things, remove the “Like” count, offer a cleaner and more readable layout, and make it easier for those who opera
Apple digs in heels over its App Store commission structure with release of new study
Apple today is again taking to the press to fight back against claims of anti-competitive practices on its App Store. Last month, the company detailed the results of a commissioned study that showed h
Messenger’s new privacy controls let you secure your chats via Face ID or Touch ID
Facebook’s messaging app is adding new privacy controls, the company announced this morning. Initially, this will include today’s launch of App Lock for iOS, which allows users to lock acc
Spotify and Universal sign new licensing deal, will partner on development of marketing tools
Spotify this morning announced a global, multi-year licensing agreement with Universal Music Group, which secures the label’s catalog for streaming rights but also signs it on to be an early ado
NBCU’s Peacock streaming service hits 1.5M app downloads in first 6 days
NBCU’s Peacock appears to be having a somewhat better launch than Quibi did, based on data from app store intelligence firm Sensor Tower. While numbers pointing to new app downloads aren’t
Instagram is testing a ‘Personal Fundraiser’ feature
Instagram today announced a new tool for personal fundraisers. The company says it’s beginning a small test of the feature, which will allow users to link directly to a fundraiser from their pro