Tag: Social Media

Instagram enhances safety features to combat sextortion
News

Instagram develops ‘Friend Map’ to allow users track locations

Instagram is developing a feature known as “Friend Map,” similar to Snapchat’s Snap Map, as confirmed by a Meta spokesperson to TechCrunch on Monday. Although the company clarified that the feature is currently an internal prototype and not being externally tested, it would allow users to view the real-time locations of their friends with their […]

The Independent to takeover Buzzfeed, HuffPost UK
Tech

The Independent to takeover Buzzfeed, HuffPost UK

British media firm The Independent are in negotiations to acquire ownership of BuzzFeed and Huffington Post’s UK and Ireland operations in a multi-year agreement, Reuters reported. Under a license agreement, The Independent will assume management of BuzzFeed’s editorial and business activities in the United Kingdom, including HuffPost, Tasty, and Seasoned. The negotiations for the takeover […]

Dating sites Tinder, Hinges sued for exploiting user addiction
Tech

Dating sites Tinder, Hinges sued for exploiting user addiction

Match Group, the parent company of dating apps Tinder and Hinge, have been sued for using addictive features to keep users in a continuous cycle of payments and falling short of delivering genuine connections. The class-action suit filed in the federal court of the Northern District of California, claims that Match Group prioritizes financial gains […]

Bluesky hits 800K new users after public opening
Tech

Bluesky hits 800K new users after public opening

Bluesky saw a substantial surge in users, nearly reaching 800,000 “newskies,” as the app transitioned from an invite-only to open to the public. Publicly available data indicates that Bluesky’s unique user count almost doubled from Monday to Tuesday following its public launch. While Bluesky remains smaller than its primary federated competitor, Mastodon, the growth trajectory […]

Snapchat expands AI features for paid subscribers
Tech

Snapchat lays off 528 workers as job cuts continue

Snap on Monday, said that it will lay off about 528 workers, or 10% of its total workforce worldwide. The company, which controls the photo-messaging app Snapchat, has long had trouble competing with bigger rivals like Facebook owner Meta Platforms, which announced its first dividend on Thursday following employee layoffs last year, and converting its […]

Major social media outage disrupts Facebook, Instagram
Tech

Top ten most downloaded apps in 2023

Meta’s Instagram has remained the most downloaded app in the world across Google’s Play Store, and Apple App Store, overtaking TikTok for the first time, according to Appfigures. The photo-sharing platform garnered 54M downloads to occupy the top position with TikTok following with 47M downloads. Facebook and WhatsApp are neck on neck with 39M and […]

Shazam adds feature to allow users identify music wearing headphones
Tech

Shazam adds feature to allow users identify music wearing headphones

Shazam, the music identification app owned by Apple, has introduced a new feature that enables users to identify songs while wearing headphones, as announced this week. To use this feature, simply open the Shazam app and look for the headphone icon to verify if your headphones are connected. This functionality allows users to recognize music […]

Telegram launches controversial peer-to-peer SMS login service
Tech

Telegram adds view-once audio, video message, other features

Telegram is introducing a number of enhancements, such as “view-once” video and audio messages as part of its January feature drop. New read-time controls and the option to halt recording while delivering an audio or video message are also being added to the platform. In September 2023, the app included “view-once” functionality for images and […]

Online community platform Discord lays off staff
News Tech

Online community platform Discord lays off staff

Online community network, Discord, is letting go of 170 employees, or 17% of its workforce. Discord CEO Jason Citron laid the blame for recent layoffs on overhiring in an internal document that was acquired by The Verge. This is in line with other tech CEOs’ justifications. On Thursday, the layoffs were disclosed at an all-hands […]

Snapchat expands AI features for paid subscribers
News Tech

Snapchat launches parental controls allowing parents ban chatbot

Snapchat is rolling out new parental settings that will let parents ban their teenagers from chatting with the AI chatbot on the app. “Snapchat was built to help people communicate with their friends in the same way they would offline, and Family Center reflects the dynamics of real-world relationships between parents and teens, where parents […]

Australia fines Telegram $640K for delayed response on online safety
News Tech

Telegram updates call feature

Telegram has updated its call feature promising better calls with a redesigned feature that consumes less battery life. Along with these improvements, the update adds new animations and upgrades to the app’s bot platform. According to the platform, calls have been updated with dynamic backdrops that alter according to whether the call is ringing, active, […]

Twitch enhances filtering tools to block sexual, violent content from livestream
News Tech

Twitch exits South Korea over operational cost

Twitch, an Amazon streaming division, said on Tuesday that it will cease operations in South Korea in February of the next year due to excessive operational expenses and network fees. “Twitch has been operating in Korea at a significant loss, and unfortunately there is no pathway forward for our business to run more sustainably in […]