Category: Mobile & Apps

The social media platform X is currently experimenting with a new ad format that integrates product recommendations directly into user posts. The test involves displaying a ‘Get Starlink’ suggestion beneath posts mentioning the Starlink satellite service, allowing interested users to click through to the Starlink website.

This initiative, led by X’s head of product Nikita Bier, aims to create an ad experience that feels organic rather than intrusive. While the Starlink ad is not yet universally visible, users have spotted the placeholder where the ad would appear. This move aligns with X’s recent introduction of ‘Paid Partnership’ labels for creators, offering a compliant way for them to disclose sponsored content without relying on hashtags.

If X expands this ad test to include sponsored posts with embedded links, the platform could attract more marketers seeking authentic promotion opportunities. This strategic shift may empower creators to leverage X effectively, potentially enhancing its competitiveness against established social networks.

Source: TechCrunch

Amazon has released an updated version of its Fire TV mobile app, offering users a more seamless and convenient way to interact with their Fire TV devices. The refreshed app allows users to explore and discover content directly from their smartphones, manage watchlists on the go, and easily play titles on their TV from the mobile app.

The new features aim to integrate smartphones as a second screen for content discovery, enabling users to add recommended shows to their watchlists even when away from home. This integration between mobile and TV enhances the viewing experience for Fire TV customers, providing quick access to desired content.

The redesigned app is being rolled out in various countries, including the U.S., Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, India, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Spain, and the U.K. Amazon notes that the updated look aligns with the latest Fire TV user interface, emphasizing content visibility and improving navigation.

The refreshed user interface showcases rounded corners, varied gradients, consistent typography, and enhanced spacing for pinned apps. Navigation has been streamlined with clear icons marking different content categories, while the search function has been made more accessible for user convenience.

Given the growing volume of streaming content, platforms like Fire TV are evolving into comprehensive discovery hubs, offering personalized recommendations and curated content to cater to user preferences.

Source: TechCrunch

X, under the ownership of Elon Musk, has announced a series of new features for its Creator Subscriptions service. The updates aim to empower creators with enhanced monetization and engagement opportunities, including exclusive threads, a revamped subscriptions paywall, a new dashboard, and a shareable subscriptions card.

The introduction of ‘exclusive threads’ allows creators to monetize their content directly on the platform, streamlining the subscription process and offering subscriber-only content within the main profile feed for easier access. Additionally, X has introduced a ‘Paid Partnership’ label to indicate sponsored content.

Creators will benefit from marketing tools like a shareable Subscriptions card to promote their content and a new dashboard for tracking earnings and subscriber insights efficiently. The subscription setup process has been optimized for simplicity, now requiring just two steps for onboarding, with accelerated application review times to expedite monetization.

By investing in these tools, X aims to strengthen its position in the creator economy landscape, competing with established platforms like Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, and Facebook, while providing creators with robust capabilities to expand their reach and revenue streams.

Source: TechCrunch

Match Group, the owner of Tinder, has made a significant organizational change by eliminating the Chief Operating Officer (COO) position, resulting in Hesam Hosseini’s departure after 18 years with the company. This decision comes as the dating-app industry grapples with user disengagement and waning popularity among Gen Z.

Hosseini, who took on the COO role in April 2025, also held the position of CEO of Evergreen & Emerging Brands. His exit follows an internal restructuring that involved the departure of Match Group President Gary Swidler and other cost-saving measures.

These adjustments, including Hosseini’s exit, are occurring under the leadership of Match Group CEO Spencer Rascoff, who assumed the role last year. The company did not announce any additional leadership changes or layoffs alongside this move.

In a LinkedIn post, Hosseini reflected on his tenure at Match Group, expressing confidence in the company’s future trajectory. Rascoff acknowledged Hosseini’s contributions, citing his instrumental role in the company’s growth and mainstream acceptance of online dating.

A source familiar with the situation revealed that Rascoff had been actively involved in Match Group’s operations, prompting discussions about the necessity of the COO role in the current phase of the company.

Under his employment agreement, Hosseini received a base salary of $635,000 along with other benefits. The one-year agreement was terminated prematurely due to the organizational change.

Source: TechCrunch

Social network X has unveiled a new private messaging service, X Chat, in the form of a standalone app for iOS users. This move aims to provide a dedicated platform for sending and receiving messages, separate from the main X timeline. The initial beta release of the X Chat app has already garnered significant interest, with thousands of early adopters gaining access through Apple’s TestFlight testing platform. Despite reaching full capacity within hours, X plans to expand the beta program to include more users in the near future.

X Chat represents an upgrade to X’s existing direct messaging feature, boasting end-to-end encryption for user privacy. However, security experts caution that X Chat may not offer the same level of security as other encrypted messaging apps like Signal. The standalone app signifies a departure from X owner Elon Musk’s previous vision of an all-encompassing app that integrated messaging, payments, and content creation tools.

Early testers have shared insights into the app’s interface, noting a sleek design and improved user experience compared to the main X app. Screenshots reveal a visually appealing login screen with a starry background, setting a welcoming tone for users.

Source: TechCrunch

Audible, the Amazon-owned audiobook platform, has introduced a new subscription plan called the ‘Standard’ plan, priced at $8.99 per month. This more affordable option challenges Audible’s existing ‘Premium’ plan, which costs $14.95 per month. Under the Standard plan, subscribers receive one audiobook per month from Audible’s extensive catalog and have unlimited listening from a curated library featuring Audible Originals.

Notably, subscribers under the Standard plan will lose access to the audiobooks they’ve consumed if they choose to unsubscribe, a contrast to the Premium plan where users can retain access to the audiobooks even after unsubscribing. Additionally, the Standard plan includes access to around 200 popular titles from the soon-to-be-shut-down Wondery+ app.

This new subscription plan rollout by Audible is strategically timed as the platform faces increased competition from Spotify, which entered the audiobook market in 2022. Spotify’s bundled approach of offering audiobooks alongside music and podcasts through its Premium subscription has gained traction among users.

Audible’s introduction of a more affordable plan aims to expand its user base and maintain competitiveness in the evolving audiobook market landscape.

Source: TechCrunch

Google has announced a significant shift in its Chrome browser release strategy, aiming to increase its agility in the face of emerging AI-powered browser competition. According to a report by TechCrunch, starting this September, Chrome will transition from a four-week release cycle to a faster two-week cadence. This move comes as rivals like OpenAI and Perplexity are challenging Chrome’s market dominance with AI-enhanced browsing experiences.

Google’s decision to expedite releases aligns with its commitment to delivering regular milestones focused on stability, speed, and user experience enhancements. By doubling the frequency of updates, the company aims to provide developers prompt access to cutting-edge tools and improvements.

While Google asserts the schedule adjustment responds to the dynamic web landscape, industry observers note the competitive pressure from AI model providers. OpenAI’s ChatGPT Atlas and Perplexity’s Comet feature advanced AI assistants and automation capabilities, signaling a paradigm shift towards more automated web interactions.

In response to these evolving challenges, Google has swiftly integrated Gemini features into Chrome, introducing its own autonomous functionalities for enhanced user experiences. The revised release schedule will commence with Chrome version 153 on September 8, 2026, across all platforms, including desktop, Android, and iOS. Notably, early release platforms like Dev and Canary channels remain unaffected by this adjustment.

Source: TechCrunch

Elliott Investment Management, a prominent activist investor, has acquired a $1 billion stake in Pinterest, the popular social platform. This investment highlights Pinterest’s commitment to advancing its AI capabilities, as CEO Bill Ready emphasized the company’s focus on leveraging AI for innovation and growth.

Ready expressed confidence in Pinterest’s progress, citing record revenue projections for 2025 and a continuous rise in user engagement. The partnership with Elliott signifies a strong endorsement of Pinterest’s business strategy and the potential it sees for future development.

As part of this investment, Pinterest plans to repurchase shares of its Class A common stock through a $1 billion accelerated repurchase agreement. Additionally, the company intends to initiate a broader $3.5 billion share buyback program, indicating a strategic financial move to enhance shareholder value.

The market responded positively to the news, with Pinterest’s stock surging by 6% in premarket trading following the announcement of Elliott’s investment. Despite recent challenges faced by Pinterest, including financial setbacks and increased competition, Elliott’s substantial investment signals confidence in the platform’s turnaround strategy, particularly its focus on AI-driven initiatives.

One of Pinterest’s key AI advancements includes visual search powered by AI technology, enabling users to discover related items, home decor concepts, and fashion suggestions by simply uploading images. The utilization of AI extends to personalized recommendations, content moderation enhancements, and innovative advertising solutions.

Overall, Elliott Investment Management’s substantial stake in Pinterest underscores the significance of AI in shaping the future of social platforms and the tech industry at large, emphasizing the crucial role of advanced technologies in driving growth and user engagement.

Source: TechCrunch

Google has introduced new features for Android users, including the integration of Find Hub locations to assist in tracking lost luggage. This functionality is part of the recent Pixel Drop update for Pixel phones. By attaching a Find Hub-compatible tracker tag to their luggage, Android users can now share a secure link with participating airlines to help pinpoint the luggage’s whereabouts.

In the Find Hub app, users can select the lost item and generate a unique URL by tapping ‘share item location.’ This link can then be provided to airlines through their mobile apps or websites for real-time tracking of the luggage’s movement. Google ensures the link expires after seven days and disables sharing once the user’s phone detects the luggage’s proximity.

Over 10 global airlines, including Ajet, Air India, Lufthansa Group, Saudia Airlines, and Turkish Airlines, have already incorporated Find Hub locations into their baggage recovery processes, with plans for more partnerships in the future. Additionally, Google has introduced other features like location sharing in Google Messages and a feed of short-form app videos in Google Play for enhanced user experience.

Source: TechCrunch

Internal documentation from Instagram has revealed a focus on tracking user engagement metrics, particularly daily app usage, which grew from 40 to 46 minutes per day between 2023 and 2026. These details emerged during CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s recent testimony in a state court case regarding the platform’s impact on youth mental health.

The lawsuit, K.G.M. v. Platforms et al., questions social media companies’ accountability for potential mental health issues arising from platform usage. While Snap and TikTok settled, Meta, the parent company of Instagram, faces scrutiny over its internal goals to increase user time on the app, despite the presence of underage users.

Plaintiffs are aiming to demonstrate that Meta knowingly targeted minors for increased engagement, contrasting with public statements about age restrictions. The case highlights discrepancies between internal knowledge and public disclosures, such as the existence of millions of under-13 users on the platform in 2015 despite official age policies.

Meta’s stance emphasizes individual responsibility and challenges the notion that Instagram substantially contributed to mental health struggles. With the case ongoing, the jury must weigh the evidence presented regarding the platform’s role in the plaintiff’s experiences.

Source: TechCrunch

Social media platform X has unveiled a new feature that allows creators to add a ‘Paid Partnership’ label to their posts, signaling that they are advertisements. This move aims to enhance transparency between creators and their followers, ensuring that fans can distinguish between genuine recommendations and sponsored content. The introduction of these labels not only fosters authenticity but also aligns with regulations mandating clear labeling of ads on social media platforms.

Previously, platforms like Instagram had already implemented similar tags following regulatory warnings to influencers regarding the disclosure of sponsored posts. X’s initiative fills a gap by providing creators with an integrated solution to mark their content, eliminating the need for hashtags like #paidpartnership and #ad.

Creators can now activate a ‘content disclose’ setting on their posts to apply the Paid Partnership label, which will be displayed beneath the post’s content. This labeling can also be retroactively added, offering flexibility to creators who may have initially overlooked the feature. By enabling creators to be transparent with their audience, X aims to uphold its core value of authenticity and combat the negative impact of undisclosed promotions on content credibility.

Source: TechCrunch

Google is partnering with India’s second-largest telecom operator, Airtel, to address the issue of spam on its Rich Communication Services (RCS) platform in the country. The collaboration aims to implement carrier-level spam filtering measures to enhance protections against unsolicited messages and fraudulent activities on the platform.

India’s mobile landscape has faced challenges with spam and fraud in messaging services, driven by a large user base, rapid digital payment growth, and aggressive marketing tactics. Complaints about unwanted ads on Google’s RCS led to a temporary halt in business promotions on the platform in 2022. However, some users still encounter spam messages on Google Messages.

Airtel’s decision to integrate its spam filters with Google’s RCS platform reflects the telecom operator’s commitment to mitigating fraud risks. This collaboration will enable real-time checks on business messaging, ensuring sender verification, spam detection, and adherence to users’ do-not-disturb preferences.

This partnership signifies a significant step in combating spam in messaging services, presenting a potential model for future industry collaborations to enhance user experience and security.

Source: TechCrunch

Spotify, known for its Music and Podcast Charts, has expanded its offerings by introducing Audiobook Charts for the U.S. and U.K. The Audiobook Charts will be updated weekly, showcasing top audiobooks overall and by genre. These rankings are based on user listening behavior and engagement on the platform.

The new feature is available to both free and premium users within the audiobooks hub. Users can access the charts by navigating to the ‘Audiobooks’ section in the app and scrolling down to the ‘Dive deeper’ segment.

This initiative demonstrates Spotify’s focus on the audiobooks space since officially supporting the format in 2022. Recent enhancements such as the ‘Page Match’ tool and ‘Audiobook Recaps’ have further enriched the audiobook experience for users.

By introducing the Audiobook Charts, Spotify aims to facilitate the discovery of popular titles for listeners while providing opportunities for authors and publishers to reach a broader audience. Spotify’s Director of Audiobook Partnerships and Licensing, Duncan Bruce, highlighted the company’s dedication to enhancing user experience and connecting books with contemporary culture.

Spotify’s foray into audiobooks complements its recent expansion into physical book sales, reflecting the company’s broader interest in literary content.

Source: TechCrunch