Uber One subscription has been launched in India. The loyalty programme targets frequent users of the ride-hailing platform by offering benefits such as Uber One credits as cashback, top-rated drivers on eligible rides, priority support for members, and a complimentary subscription to a food delivery platform.
Adobe announced a slew of new features and improvements at its annual Adobe Max conference on Thursday. The software giant announced new Firefly artificial intelligence (AI) models, support for third-party models, new Adobe Express features, a new Firefly mobile app, and more. The company also introduced a new Adobe Boards tool for storyboard creation, and a Vector model to let designers create editable vector-based artworks.
Google updated the Gemini 2.0 Flash artificial intelligence (AI) model last week. The new update refines the model’s conversational capability and makes it better suited for creative tasks, the Mountain View-based tech giant said. The company claims that users will notice the difference when talking to the AI about certain topics and tasks.
YouTube is said to be rolling out a new user interface (UI) for the video player as part of its 20th anniversary celebrations. As per a report, the existing gradient layer has been removed from the bottom of the screen and is replaced by individual pill-shaped capsules for media controls. Additionally, the platform has announced the rollout of new features such personalised radio stations using Ask Music feature and 4x playback speed option.
Perplexity released a voice assistant for iOS on Wednesday. Powered by the company's native artificial intelligence (AI) answer engine, the voice assistant comes with web browsing capability and can access multiple apps to complete tasks. The AI assistant for iPhone devices comes three months after the company rolled out the Perplexity Assistant for Android devices.
Meta Platforms said on Wednesday it is expanding advertising on its social network Threads to all eligible advertisers globally. A growing user base on Threads—exceeding 320 million monthly users—and uncertainty surrounding a potential TikTok ban in the US could bolster Meta's ability to attract advertisers.
WhatsApp has introduced the "Advanced Chat Privacy" feature that adds an extra layer of protection to one-on-one and group conversations. The new privacy and security feature is designed to prevent attempts to save media and export chat content. WhatsApp already offers end-to-end encryption for messages and calls.
Instagram co-founder Kevin Systrom testified that the app could have succeeded without being acquired by Meta Platforms. Systrom, testifying Tuesday at Meta’s antitrust trial in Washington, recounted how quickly Instagram was growing before Zuckerberg’s purchase offer.
Baidu reportedly made its artificial intelligence (AI) agent Xinxiang available for Android devices on Wednesday. The Chinese tech giant is pitching the mobile-focused agentic tool as an upgrade over AI-powered chatbots in surfacing and analysing information. The app is currently available for the Android platform in China, however, it is unclear if the company will introduce the AI agent outside the country.
Grok, the artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot by xAI, is getting a couple of new features. Announced on Wednesday, the AI firm is rolling out Grok Vision, a computer vision feature, to its iOS app. Additionally, xAI is also shipping multilingual audio support and real-time web search to both the Android and iOS apps.
Google Photos is said to be rolling out a new feature which lets you turn standard images into Ultra HDR photos. As per a report, the new editing tool is available with the latest version of the Google Photos app for Android which repackages clicked photos to include more image data.
Character AI, the California-based artificial intelligence (AI) platform, unveiled its first video generation model on Monday. Dubbed AvatarFX, it is an image-to-video model that can generate 2D and 3D animated characters. The AI firm claims the generated videos will hold temporal consistency with face, hand and body movement. Additionally, the videos will also feature speech, which is being powered by the company’s native text-to-speech models.
Instagram rolled out the Edits app to the public on Tuesday, nearly three months after it was first announced. It is a mobile video editing solution which brings a suite of creative tools such as high quality video capture, keyframing, automatic captions, and camera settings for resolution, frame rate and dynamic range. Instagram says Edits users can leverage artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities to edit their videos with even more creativity, using features such as AI image animation and other effects.
Uber was sued by the US Federal Trade Commission. In a complaint filed Monday, the FTC alleges the company charged consumers for its Uber One product without their consent, misled users about the program’s savings and made it “unreasonably” burdensome to cancel the service.
Zoom launched several new enterprise-focused features last week, expanding its agentic tools. The San Jose-based communications technology company is introducing several AI agents across the Zoom Workplace, including Custom AI Companion, Zoom Tasks, and more. Additionally, the company is also rolling out multiple new features for its existing products such as Zoom Phone, Whiteboard, and Zoom CX.
Instagram is expanding its Teen Accounts setting, which was first rolled out in 2024, with a new proactive technology and parents' reach-out campaigns. Announced on Monday, the Meta-owned social media platform is testing the use of AI-powered age detection tools to identify teenagers on the platform who have added an adult birthday.
Microsoft announced the rollout of Copilot Vision to all users in the Microsoft Edge browser last week. The computer vision-enabled artificial intelligence (AI) feature was first unveiled by the company in December 2024, and so far, it has only been available to Copilot Pro subscribers. The Redmond-based tech giant is now expanding the AI feature to all Edge browser users.
WhatsApp has begun testing a new in-app message translation feature on its Android app. Spotted by a feature tracker, the new message translation feature enables seamless, automatic on-device translation. The 'translate messages' feature processes chats directly on the user's device, and will ask users to select and download language packs for offline processing.
WhatsApp is developing a new feature allowing users more control over automatic media download quality. A feature tracker revealed the platform is testing an option to choose between standard and HD quality for automatically downloaded images and videos. Read on to know how this feature will work when it is rolled out to users in the future.
xAI announced the rollout of a new memory feature for the Grok artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot on Thursday. Similar to ChatGPT and Gemini, the feature will allow Grok to remember specific details about users, which it can use to personalise future conversations. Memories will also enable the chatbot to deliver tailored advice and recommendations, making conversations more fluid.
WhatsApp has rolled out a new feature which makes it easier to sort out stickers. Meta Platforms’ instant messaging client now enables users to create custom sticker packs without leaving the app. They can organise saved stickers in multiple folders to speed up the process of finding the relevant sticker and sending it to their loved ones. WhatsApp has also introduced the ability of sending an entire sticker pack, instead of sharing each sticker individually.
Perplexity is reportedly exploring partnership options to increase the visibility of its artificial intelligence (AI) assistant. As per the report, the company is in talks with Lenovo-owned Motorola and Samsung to integrate the virtual assistant into their devices. It is said that the partnership with Motorola could be announced soon, while discussions are still ongoing with the South Korean tech giant.
Instagram 'Blend' feature for users on Thursday, a new private co-operative feed that works similarly to direct messages. Users can invite friends to a blend, and Instagram's algorithm will automatically curate a unique, ongoing feed of recommended Reels for both members, based on their individual platform activity.
Microsoft has reportedly begun internally testing Copilot for Gaming, its under-development artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot for Xbox gamers. As per the report, the AI app is currently available to the company’s employees. The Redmond-based tech giant unveiled the Xbox Copilot in March and showcased some of its features.
Google announced the rollout of the Gemini Live with Camera and Screen Share features to all compatible Android devices on Wednesday. Last week, the Mountain View-based tech giant announced the availability of the features to the Google Pixel 9 and Samsung Galaxy S25 series. Now, the company is rolling it out to all Android devices that support the Gemini app.
Google has begun beta testing a new metric to help Android app developers identify apps causing excessive battery drain. A new Android Vitals metric to pinpoint excessive wake locks, a key factor behind in idle battery drain. The company suggests these metrics could eventually highlight optimised apps on the Google Play store.
OpenAI is rolling out a new library feature in ChatGPT that will allow users to check all their images generated using artificial intelligence (AI) in a single view. Announced on Wednesday, the new feature is available to all registered ChatGPT users across all its interfaces. The San Francisco-based AI firm said that the library will act as a space to let users browse, revisit, and reuse their images.
Gboard, the virtual keyboard app developed by Google, is bringing new voice typing features for Pixel smartphones and select other devices. Users can now take advantage of voice commands which enable them to add emojis, edit text, turn off the microphone, or send the message. Although Gboard has provided voice typing capabilities for years now, these capabilities potentially improve the experience, making it easier to type on the device in situations where the hands are occupied.
Anthropic is reportedly working on a voice chat feature for its in-house artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot, Claude. As per the report, the AI firm is planning to launch the feature, dubbed ‘voice mode’, as soon as this month. While rivals such as OpenAI and Google have already added a dedicated voice mode in their chatbots, ChatGPT and Gemini, Anthropic has so far only focused on the text interface.
Google announced the rollout of the Veo 2 artificial intelligence (AI) model to Gemini chatbot on Tuesday. Currently, the AI model will only be accessible to the paid subscribers of Gemini. With this AI model, eligible users can generate eight-second-long videos with text or image-based prompts. The Mountain View-based tech giant first introduced Veo 2 in December 2024, as the successor to the Veo AI model.
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg considered spinning off Instagram in 2018 over concerns about growing risk of antitrust scrutiny. The document was shown during Zuckerberg's second day of testimony at the high-stakes trial, in which the Us Federal Trade Commission is seeking to unwind Meta's acquisitions of prized assets Instagram and WhatsApp.
PhonePe UPI Circle feature was launched in India on Tuesday, enabling primary users to authorise secondary users for payments even if they do not have their own bank accounts. Developed by NPCI, UPI Circle aims to broaden UPI usage and allow supervised spending. Here's everything you need to know about how PhonePe UPI Circle works.
Google Classroom is getting a new artificial intelligence (AI) feature that can generate questions on a particular topic based on information shared with the tool. Announced on Monday, the feature is currently available to the paid Education tier of Google Workspace users. Powered by Gemini, the tool can generate a wide variety of questions that can be used to assess students.
Google Photos integration with the Gemini app on Android is reportedly now rolling out to users. Earlier this month, the Mountain View-based tech giant confirmed that the integration was being released to the public. With this, users can now ask Gemini questions about their photos to either locate specific images or derive information from within the images saved in Google Photos.
Bharti Airtel on Tuesday announced a strategic partnership with Blinkit for quick deliveries of SIM cards in select cities in India. It enables customers to get doorstep deliveries of both prepaid and postpaid Airtel SIM cards by paying a nominal convenience fee. The telecom operator will also offer the facility of porting SIM cards from another service provider to Airtel’s network.
The Department of Telecom (DoT) has instructed India's top three telecom operators to complete inter-operator trials for the Caller Name Presentation (CNAP) feature. A new report reveals that the CNAP technology, requiring additional network infrastructure for older 2G networks, will be exclusive to 4G and 5G smartphone users when it is rolled out.
Mark Zuckerberg testified in a US antitrust trial this week. The FTC is seeking to force Meta to restructure Instagram and WhatsApp, challenging its reliance on ad revenue and its dominance in the social networking space. Meta has argued that its purchases of Instagram in 2012 and WhatsApp in 2014 have benefited users.
Samsung is said to be rolling out its Good Lock app to all countries. According to a report, users in Romania can download the app on their Galaxy devices to gain access to its extensive suite of customisation and personalisation features. Although the app has been around for several years now, its availability was limited to around 40 countries.
Spotify is launching its Spotify Ad Exchange (SAX) platform and advertiser-focused artificial intelligence (AI) tools in India. Announced on Monday, the new services for advertisers in the country were launched just a week after its global launch. SAX is a programmatic ad platform that automates the process of buying and placing ads on the platform.
Google Chrome is set to fix a 23-year-old privacy bug that allowed malicious sites to track users' browsing history. Earlier measures partially addressed the issue, but Google says Chrome version 136, launching this month, will block exploits used to identify visited links. This update marks a significant advancement in user privacy protection.
Netflix is reportedly testing a new artificial intelligence (AI) feature for its platform. As per the report, the streaming giant is working on an AI-powered search engine that will replace the existing search function on the platform. It is said to be powered by OpenAI’s AI models and will let users search for content using more specific terms.
UPI (Unified Payments Interface) services in India were severely disrupted this Saturday morning, leaving users incapable of making digital transactions, the third time within a month. The snag hits individuals and businesses across the country, disrupting an important daily service for smooth money transfers, which has become a common feature in Indian money transaction businesses.
Adobe shared a sneak peek of several under-development artificial intelligence (AI) agents across its platforms on Wednesday. The San Jose-based software giant is currently looking at how agentic tools can complete manual tasks to free up users to focus on creativity and productivity-based tasks. Adobe is building several AI agents for Photoshop, Premiere Pro, Acrobat, Adobe Express, and even Creative Cloud.
OpenAI announced an update to the Memory feature in ChatGPT on Thursday. The San Francisco-based artificial intelligence (AI) firm is now improving the memory function so that it can not only remember certain information about users’ preferences and interests but can also remember and reference past conversations. The company said the new feature will enable the chatbot to have a more natural conversation with users, and will appear more like a companion.
Gaming company Razer announced the official launch of the Razer PC Remote Play platform on Thursday. First announced at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2025 in beta, the platform allows streaming of PC games to mobile devices such as phones and tablets, along with Windows-based handhelds. The company says it takes advantage of the full frame rate and resolution of the mobile device to deliver high-fidelity visuals without issues such as letterboxing or pillarboxing.
Threads is said to be testing a new feature which aims to make it easier to import the social graph from other microblogging platforms. According to a tipster, it is currently in beta and not available to all users. The feature is expected to introduce a way through which users can easily follow the same accounts on Threads as they do on X (formerly Twitter) without having to manually search for and follow the creator.
WhatsApp on Wednesday announced several new features for Android and iOS users which bring more functionality to chats, voice calls, video calls, and Channels. As per Meta’s instant messaging platform, there is now an “Online” indicator in group chats which lets users know about others who are available for a conversation in real time. Then there are tappable reactions which makes it easier to view everyone’s message reactions and simply tap to follow up with the same.
Canva unveiled Visual Suite 2.0, a redesigned platform with new features and AI-powered tools, on Thursday. The Sydney-based visual communications platform showcased several new features under the Visual Suite 2.0 umbrella, such as Canva AI, Canva Sheets, Canva Code, Magic Charts, and Visual Suite in One Design, at Canva Create, its fourth annual event.
The US Federal Trade Commission is targeting Meta's deals for Instagram and WhatsApp in a landmark antitrust lawsuit set to go to trial Monday, alleging that the acquisitions were illegal, should never have been approved and should be broken up.
UIDAI has unveiled a revamped Aadhaar app for smartphones, enabling face scans for identity verification via QR codes and smartphone cameras. The app will eliminate the need for photocopies of Aadhaar cards and is designed to expedite the authentication process, according to UIDAI. Here's everything you need to know about the redesigned Aadhaar app for smartphones.
Spotify Premium will continue to remain ad-free, and the company has dismissed rumours about ads for Spotify Premium subscribers. The company's clarification comes after fixing a bug that briefly caused ads for some users. Later this year, Spotify is set to introduce a Hi-Fi subscription tier for higher quality audio.
