Consumer spending in apps has hit a record $32 billion (roughly Rs. 2,34,400 crores) in the first quarter of 2021, according to a report. While the coronavirus pandemic has adversely impacted many businesses across the globe, it has marked a positive effect on the app market worldwide as people started downloading more apps on their devices and paying more for in-app purchases since the beginning of 2020. Both Apple App Store and Google Play have seen an increase in app downloads and in-app purchases.Market intelligence firm App Annie said in its latest report that the first quarter of 2021 was the biggest for the app market worldwide as it reached the milestone of $32 billion on in-app purchases across
Tag: facebook
WhatsApp Users May Soon Be Able to Change Its App Colours: Report
Facebook-owned popular instant messaging platform WhatsApp is reportedly working on a new feature that will allow users to change colours inside the app.According to a tweet by WhatsApp features tracker WABetaInfo, with the help of this feature, the app's users will be able to change colours in the chat box and opt for a darker shade of Green for text on the screen. There's no official word yet on when the feature is expected to roll out to all users.WhatsApp has been working on a lot of other new and exciting features. It was recently also reported that WhatsApp is working on a feature that will allow users to change the playback speed of voice messages at their convenience.
LinkedIn Shows Off Clubhouse-Like Service Within Its App
LinkedIn is working on a Clubhouse-like service within its app, the company confirmed through a blog post on its website. LinkedIn said it is reimagining how its users can create a more “expressive and inclusive” profile on the platform. The first step in this direction is a video cover story feature that allows LinkedIn users to introduce themselves with a video. It has also introduced a new creator mode that will allow users to follow others on the platform.Clubhouse quickly rose to fame over the past few months due to its concept of audio-based socialising and adding members like Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg. This lead to Facebook, Twitter, Telegram, and Discord developing something on similar lines as Clubhouse.
Facebook-Owned WhatsApp Gets Delayed Nod for Payments in Brazil
Brazil's central bank on Tuesday cleared the way for Facebook's WhatsApp messaging service to let its users send each other funds using the Visa Inc and Mastercard card networks, months after vetoing WhatsApp's initial attempt.When WhatsApp tried to launch the transfer service last June, the central bank said it could damage Brazil's existing payments system in terms of competition, efficiency and data privacy, adding that the service had failed to obtain the needed licenses.The regulatory friction was the latest setback for Facebook's effort to use its social media platforms to compete with banks and fintechs in allowing fast electronic funds transfers.The regulatory approval comes months after the central bank launched its own instant payments system in November, called Pix,
Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey Called Out for Trolling US Congress During Hearing
Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey tweeted his frustration with US lawmakers' questions on the social media platform during a hearing about misinformation on Thursday, leading one member of congress to call out his multi-tasking.Lawmakers grilled Dorsey and the CEOs of Facebook and Google's parent Alphabet for almost five hours. Tensions were high as they asked them to answer "yes or no" to questions ranging from whether their platforms bore any responsibility for the January 6 riot to whether they understood the difference between the two words.During the hearing, Dorsey tweeted "?" with a poll asking Twitter users to vote "yes" or "no." Democratic Representative Kathleen Rice asked: "Mr. Dorsey, what is winning, yes or no, on your Twitter account poll?"Dorsey told
Big Tech CEOs and US Lawmakers Clash Over Disinformation
US lawmakers unleashed a torrent of criticism against social media top executives Thursday, blaming the companies for amplifying false content and calls to violence, while promising new regulations to stem rampant online disinformation.The video hearing attended remotely by top executives of Facebook, Google, and Twitter got off to a stormy start as lawmakers accused them of intentionally making products that get people hooked."Big Tech is essentially handing our children a lit cigarette and hoping they stay addicted for life," said congressman Bill Johnson, an Ohio Republican. "Former Facebook executives have admitted that they use the tobacco industry's playbook for addictive products."Congressman Frank Pallone told the executives that it is time for legislation that forces more aggressive action to eliminate disinformation
Big Tech Critic Lina Khan Gets Nod for Key US Regulatory Post
US President Joe Biden on Monday named a prominent advocate of breaking up Big Tech firms to a key regulatory post, in a move suggesting an aggressive posture on antitrust enforcement.The White House said it was submitting the nomination of Lina Khan, an associate professor of law at Columbia University's law school, to the Federal Trade Commission, an agency with authority over some mergers and antitrust policy.The move follows the naming of Tim Wu, another Big Tech critic, to an economic advisory post in the White House.Khan previously served as counsel to the US House of Representatives' subcommittee on antitrust, which last year released a lengthy report suggesting grounds for breaking up giants such as Facebook, Google, Amazon, and
Instagram Most Invasive App, Signal and Clubhouse Safest to Use: pCloud
Instagram is the most invasive app, according to cloud storage firm pCloud. The app is said to be sharing a staggering 79 percent of your personal data with third-party companies, including everything from purchasing information, personal data, and browsing history. It also uses 86 percent of your data to sell you more of the Facebook group's own products and serve you relevant ads on behalf of others. Facebook is reported to come in second, whereas apps like Signal, Clubhouse, and Netflix do not share your data with third-parties or use it for marketing at all.pCloud collated data based on App Store's new privacy labels, and their latest research suggests that Instagram and Facebook share the most amount of user
Donald Trump Could Return to Social Media With His Own Platform
Donald Trump plans to return to social media soon, using "his own platform" after being banned from Twitter and other outlets, a former advisor said Sunday."I do think that we're going to see president Trump returning to social media in probably about two or three months," Jason Miller told Fox News."It's going to completely redefine the game, and everybody is going to be waiting and watching to see what exactly president Trump does, but it will be his own platform," said Miller, who held senior posts in both of Trump's presidential campaigns.Trump's provocative use of social media was a defining feature of his presidency, as he drew 88 million followers to Twitter and often used tweets to slam his
Instagram to Block Adults From Contacting Underage Users With New Tools
Facebook-owned Instagram unveiled technology Tuesday aimed at preventing underage children from creating accounts and blocking adults from contacting young users they don't know.It was the latest move responding to concerns about inappropriate contact between adults and children on the platform, which like most services sets an age minimum of 13.Instagram will begin using artificial intelligence to determine a user's age at signup in an effort to find underage users."While many people are honest about their age, we know that young people can lie about their date of birth. We want to do more to stop this from happening, but verifying people's age online is complex and something many in our industry are grappling with," a blog post said."To address