Sarah Perez
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Shopping app Temu is using TikTok’s strategy to keep its No. 1 spot on App Store
Temu, a shopping app from Chinese e-commerce giant Pinduoduo, is having quite the run as the No. 1 app on the U.S. app stores. The mobile shopping app hit the top spot on the U.S. App Store in Septemb
The FTC orders HomeAdvisor to pay up to $7.2M for lying about lead quality and other matters
The U.S. Federal Trade Commission has ordered home services marketplace HomeAdvisor to pay up to $7.2 million for its use of deceptive and misleading tactics in selling home improvement project leads
This Week in Apps: Twitter kills third-party apps, Instagram adds Quiet Mode, Google’s antitrust trial gets a date
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
Meta centralizes more user and privacy settings across its apps, announces changes to ads controls
Facebook parent Meta announced today it’s further centralizing various user settings across its suite of apps — Facebook, Instagram, and Messenger. As a result, several existing settings w
Epic and Match’s antitrust case against Google heads to jury trial on November 6
A date has been set for a trial by jury in a significant antitrust case against Google involving its alleged abuses of power in the Android app market. Fortnite maker Epic Games and dating app giant M
Instagram’s new ‘Quiet Mode’ helps you take a break from the app
Instagram announced today it’s expanding its selection of time management tools with the launch of a new feature called “Quiet Mode.” The feature aims to reduce users’ anxiety
Wikipedia gets its first makeover in over a decade… and it’s fairly subtle
Wikipedia, one of the world’s top 10 most visited websites, and a resource used by billions every month, is getting its first makeover on the desktop in over a decade. The Wikimedia Foundation,
TikTok rolls out its ‘state-controlled media’ label to 40 more countries
TikTok today announced it’s expanding its “state-controlled media” label to more than 40 additional global markets, to alert users when videos they’re seeing on the app are bei
Dating app Hinge tests a pricier $60 per month subscription, similar to Tinder Platinum
Match-owned dating app Hinge confirmed it’s testing a higher-priced premium subscription of $50 to $60 per month — a significant increase over the current $35 per month pricing. The compan
DoorDash expands Starbucks partnership with plans to reach all US states by March
Starbucks will become available for delivery via DoorDash across all 50 U.S. states by March, in an expansion of a partnership with the delivery service announced last year. In September, Starbucks an
This Week in Apps: ChatGPT app scammers, Instagram revamp and a consumer spending slowdown
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
News aggregator SmartNews lays off 40% of US and China staff, with further reductions planned in Japan
SmartNews, a Tokyo-headquartered news aggregation website and app valued at $2 billion as of 2021, today announced a 40% reduction of its U.S. and China workforce, or around 120 people, according to s
Medium embraces Twitter alternative Mastodon with launch of its own community
Online publishing platform Medium, originally created by Twitter co-founder Evan Williams, announced today that it’s embracing the open source Mastodon platform by creating its own instance to s
TikTok launches a Talent Manager Portal so managers can negotiate brand deals for clients
TikTok is making it easier for brands to work with its “megastar” creators with an update to its Creator Marketplace that now invites talent managers to oversee, execute and analyze the br
Rent the Runway’s fashion comes to Amazon, including preworn items and design exclusives
Fashion rentals marketplace Rent the Runway was hit hard by the pandemic, as its subscribers were largely renting outfits to wear to in-person events. The company survived, however, by slashing costs,
Apple Maps’ business listings are about to get more detailed with launch of ‘Apple Business Connect’
Apple Maps today is gaining a new tool that will allow the decade-plus-old service to better compete with Google: It will now allow business owners to update and manage their own information on the pl
The app economy slowed for the first time in 2022, with consumer spend down 2% to $167 billion
The app ecosystem’s nonstop growth finally slipped this past year. An annual review of the app economy by mobile analytics firm data.ai (previously App Annie) found that consumer spending on mob
App Store developers have earned $320 billion to date, says Apple
Apple today shared an update on its subscription businesses and global App Store, noting that the tech company has now paid out a record $320 billion to app developers since 2008 — a number that
Buy with Prime, which brings Prime to third-party sites, officially launches in US on Jan. 31
Amazon announced this morning it’s expanding its Buy with Prime service to U.S.-based merchants by the end of the month. The service, which allows third-party merchants to offer Prime benefits l
Instagram is removing the Shop tab, moving Reels from the center spot in design overhaul next month
Instagram announced today it will simplify its in-app navigation after years of confusing changes designed to push various products like Instagram Shop and Reels. The company says, starting in Februar