Generative AI models have reached a baseline capability of producing at least a passable video from a single image or short sentence. Companies building products around these models are claiming that anyone can make a snazzy promo video if they have some images or recordings — and videos usually perform better than static images or […]

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

Telegram has rolled out its first update of the year, adding a new account verification method powered by third-parties, new message search filters, and the ability to turn gifts into NFTs. The chat app already had a program to verify public figures and organizations on the platform, and it has now launched a project to […]

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

A business built around increasingly customized ready-to-eat meals has netted Middle Eastern startup Calo a sizeable funding injection as it looks to expand both what it can offer its time-strapped customers and where it delivers its growing range of just-heat-to-eat dishes. The meal delivery market in the Middle East will hit $11.2 billion by 2030, […]

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

Social network Bluesky said on Christmas that it is testing a trending topics view. The trending topics are visible both on the desktop and mobile apps of the social network for users across the world. On the desktop, you can see trending topics on the right sidebar, and on the mobile app, you can tap […]

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

Lux, which makes the iPhone camera app Halide, published a roadmap on Monday detailing the app’s next version, called Halide Mark III, to be released sometime next year. The company said Halide Mark III will ship with two new features: Color Grades and its own take on HDR (high dynamic range) photos. The company plans […]

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

Days after web hosting provider WP Engine won a preliminary injunction against WordPress co-creator Matt Mullenweg and rival hosting provider Automattic, Mullenweg announced that WordPress.org is taking a holiday break. WordPress.org — a site that provides access to WordPress plug-ins, themes, and other artifacts to the community — will take a break from providing free […]

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

Telegram founder Pavel Durov said Monday that the company is now profitable. Durov said the chat app’s total revenue surpassed $1 billion in 2024. The company, which launched its premium subscription service in 2022, now has 12 million paid users. Durov also said that the app is finishing the year with more than $500 million […]

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

Elon Musk's AI company, xAI, is testing out a standalone iOS app for its chatbot, Grok, which was available only to X users until now.

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

Google said Friday that the company is expanding Gemini’s latest in-depth research mode to 40 more languages. The company launched the in-depth research mode earlier this month, allowing Google One AI premium plan users to unlock an AI-powered research assistant of sorts. The in-depth function works in a multi-step method, from creating a research plan […]

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

Social network Bluesky has released a new update to its app that includes a separate mentions tab in notifications, protections against username squatting, and new controls for replies sorting. The company announced that it is adding a new mentions tab with the v1.96 rollout to let you see those posts separately. Until now, all notifications […]

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

A lot of YouTube videos have flashy, misleading titles and thumbnails, such as “BREAKING NEWS” or “The president steps down,” to bait the user into watching the video, which has non-related content. YouTube said Wednesday that it is now cracking down on such videos — especially if videos cover topics like breaking news or current […]

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

File transfer service WeTransfer is now limiting users to 10 transfers per month with its free plan. The company is already applying the new limit to users, as per a support page. At the same time, WeTransfer is adding some perks to the free plan, including increasing the overall file transfer limit from 2GB to […]

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

Meta’s social network Threads is experimenting with a feature that will let you schedule posts, Instagram head Adam Mosseri said. Users who will get to test this feature won’t be able to schedule replies. “We want to balance giving people more control to plan their Threads posts while still encouraging real-time conversations,” he said. People […]

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

Music streaming platform SoundCloud announced Tuesday that it is introducing a new, cheaper paid plan for artists simply called Artist, while renaming its Next Pro plan to Artist Pro. The new basic tier will cost $39 per year and put some limits on features like track amplification, distribution, monetization, and AI mastering. Artists subscribing to […]

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

Meta’s microblogging platform, Threads, is growing at a quick clip since it was launched last year, and it seems to have benefited from the exodus of users from its rival, X, a couple months ago. The company’s CEO Mark Zuckerberg said on Monday that more than 100 million people use Threads daily, and that it […]

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

Twitter alternatives — new and old — have found audiences willing to try out a newer social networks since Elon Musk took over the company in 2022. Mastodon, Bluesky, Spill and T2 are some of the social media platforms people are among them. So is Meta’s Threads platform. What is Threads? How do you create […]

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

YouTube is experimenting with a new way to engage fans by giving creators the ability to post voice notes and reply to comments on their videos, the company announced on Monday. The ability to post voice notes is limited to certain creators in the U.S. for the time being. YouTube says they’ll only be able […]

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

WhatsApp announced that it had added new video calling features just before the holidays, including participant selection for group video calls, better resolution, and a revamped call tab on the desktop. This is another step from Meta in making WhatsApp a viable option for both personal and work calls instead of using Google Meet or […]

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

Google said that it is launching a new Android-based XR platform on Thursday to accommodate AI features. The company said the platform, called Android XR, will support app development on different devices, including headsets and glasses. The company is releasing Android XR’s first developer preview on Thursday, which already supports existing tools, including ARCore, Android […]

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

Character AI is facing at least two lawsuits, with plaintiffs accusing the company of contributing to a teen’s suicide and exposing a 9-year-old to “hypersexualized content”, as well as promoting self-harm to a 17-year-old user. Amid these ongoing lawsuits and widespread user criticism, the Google-backed company announced new teen safety tools today: a separate model for […]

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