In today’s online safety hearing, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg again pushed back at the idea that businesses like his should be responsible for managing parental consent systems for kids’ use of social media apps, like Facebook and Instagram. Instead, he suggested the problem should be dealt with by the app store providers, like Apple and […]

© 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only.

Dating app giant Match Group says it hasn’t yet determined how it plans to adapt its products in light of the EU’s Digital Markets Act (DMA), a new regulation that is forcing Apple to open up its platform to alternative app stores, third-party payments and more. Speaking to investors during the company’s Q4 2023 earnings […]

© 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only.

The Iconfactory, the maker of a popular third-party Twitter client, Twitterrific, that was among those killed off by Twitter under Elon Musk’s management, is hoping to recover from its losses with a new app that combines your social media, news feeds, and alerts into one experience. The app, dubbed “Project Tapestry” as it launches on […]

© 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only.

The TikTok ban on U.S. government devices is proving hard to enforce. A month after the IRS was found to be in non-compliance with the federally mandated ban on the Beijing-based video app, two Republican senators are asking the IRS why it’s still allowing some of the agency’s employees to access the social network, and […]

© 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only.

Apple last week announced new rules for EU app developers to comply with new regulation, the  Digital Markets Act (DMA). After being designated as a “gatekeeper,” the EU required Apple to make changes to increase competition in the app industry, including by offering new ways to download apps from outside the App Store, new frameworks […]

© 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only.

Instagram Threads is gaining traction after growth stalled last year, which had some prematurely wondering if the app was already dead. New data indicates that’s not the case — in fact, Threads is continuing to grow, having tripled its downloads month-over-month in December, which gave it a place in the top 10 most downloaded apps […]

© 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only.

Instagram head Adam Mosseri confirmed the company is testing a feature called Flipside — an experiment that would essentially turn users’ “finstas” — their separate, private, and more personal accounts — into a new product feature. Flipside was first spotted in development last year, but Instagram said it was only an internal prototype at the […]

© 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only.

X, formerly Twitter, is trying to placate lawmakers about the app’s safety measures ahead of a Big Tech Congressional hearing on Wednesday, which will focus on how companies like X, Meta, TikTok, and others are protecting kids online. Over the weekend, the social media company announced via Bloomberg that it would staff a new “Trust […]

© 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only.

Count Spotify among those not thrilled with how Apple has chosen to comply with the EU’s Digital Markets Act (DMA), which sets the stage for sideloading apps, alternative app stores, browser choice, and more. On Friday, the streaming music company issued its response to Apple’s new DMA rules, calling the new fees imposed on developers […]

© 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only.

With over 3 million users and plans to open up more broadly in the months ahead, Bluesky is still establishing itself as an alternative to Twitter/X. However, that hasn’t stopped the developer community from embracing the project and building tools to meet the needs of those fleeing the now Elon Musk-owned social network, formerly known […]

© 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only.

Apple is moving to make the App Store more appealing to developers before the upcoming deadline to comply with the EU’s Digital Markets Act (DMA), which offers developers the ability to distribute apps through their own channels for the first time. In an effort to retain developers, Apple has begun its pilot tests of “contingent […]

© 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only.

The raft of iOS changes Apple dropped in the European Union yesterday, as it prepares for enforcement of the bloc’s Digital Markets Act (DMA) to kick in March 7, include some big developments around browsers that look set to shake up a pretty stale market. The goal for the EU regulation is exactly that: To […]

© 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only.