Mobile

Easel is a new startup that sits at the intersection of the generative AI and social trends, founded by two former employees at Snap. The company has been working on an app that lets you create images of yourself and your friends doing cool things directly from your favorite iMessage …

Phone cameras have evolved a lot, with image processing becoming increasingly important and granular controls to help users tweak their images. Despite that, many people are still fond of old-school photography styles and techniques. Developer Alex Fox wanted to focus on that nostalgia while building the Mood.camera app. The iPhone …

New AI models from Meta are making waves in technology circles. The two new models, part of the Facebook parent company’s Llama line of artificial intelligence tools, are both open source, helping them stand apart from competing offerings from OpenAI and other well-known names. Meta’s new Llama models have differently …

Last week, Meta started testing its AI chatbot in India across WhatsApp, Instagram, and Messenger. But with the Indian general elections beginning today, the company is already blocking specific queries in its chatbot. Meta confirmed that it is restricting certain election-related keywords for AI in the test phase. It also …

Social media service Snap said on Tuesday that it plans to add watermarks to AI-generated images on its platform. The watermark is a translucent version of the Snap logo with a sparkle emoji, and it will be added to any AI-generated image that are exported from the app or saved …

Social networking service Bluesky is now allowing heads of state to sign up and join the platform. The move comes ahead of major general elections in countries like the U.S. and India this year. Last year, during Bluesky’s invite-only period, the company had stated that it didn’t allow heads of …

Spotify is working on mixing tools that would allow users to remix songs on the streaming service, according to screenshots captured by tech veteran and app researcher Chris Messina. While music aficionados use software like Adobe Audition or Ableton Live to create mixes of their favorite songs, the new capabilities …

Meta has confirmed to TechCrunch that it is testing Meta AI, its large language model-powered chatbot, with WhatsApp, Instagram and Messenger users in India and parts of Africa. The move signals how Meta plans to tap massive user bases across its various apps to scale its AI offerings. The social …

If you’ve been feeling lonely over the past few years, you’re not alone. According to a 2023 report from the U.S. Surgeon General, about half of U.S. adults reported feeling lonely, even before the COVID-19 pandemic. The report warns that loneliness and isolation can lead to physical consequences, such as …

WordPress.com owner Automattic is acquiring Beeper, the company behind the iMessage-on-Android solution that was referenced by the Department of Justice in its antitrust lawsuit against Apple. The deal, which was for $125 million according to sources close to the matter, is Automattic’s second acquisition of a cross-platform messaging solution after buying …