Aisha Malik, Author at TechCrunch

Spotify launches a new Basic streaming plan in the US

Aisha Malik — Fri, 21 Jun 2024 14:31:13 +0000

Spotify is introducing a new “Basic” streaming plan in the United States, the company announced on Friday. The new plan costs $10.99 per month and includes all of the benefits of a Premium plan but without the monthly audiobook listening time. The launch of the new streaming plan comes a few weeks after Spotify increased […]

Apple releases Final Cut Pro for iPad 2 and Final Cut Camera

Aisha Malik — Thu, 20 Jun 2024 18:33:22 +0000

Apple has released Final Cut Pro for iPad 2 and Final Cut Camera, the company announced on Thursday. Both apps were previously announced during the company’s iPad event in May. Apple also released updates for Final Cut Pro for Mac. The iPad version has been updated with capabilities that are designed to take advantage of […]

Instagram now lets users livestream exclusively to their Close Friends list

Aisha Malik — Thu, 20 Jun 2024 15:00:00 +0000

Instagram is introducing the ability for users to broadcast live to just their Close Friends list, the company announced on Thursday. The new “Close Friends on Live” feature allows users to go live with up to three other people. Instagram says the new feature can be used to share what’s on your mind, spontaneously catch […]

FTC refers TikTok child privacy case to Justice Department

Aisha Malik — Tue, 18 Jun 2024 21:01:59 +0000

The agency was investigating the company over potential violations of the Children's Online Privacy Act.

Snap previews its real-time image model that can generate AR experiences

Aisha Malik — Tue, 18 Jun 2024 18:52:46 +0000

At the Augmented World Expo on Tuesday, Snap teased an early version of its real-time, on-device image diffusion model that can generate vivid AR experiences. The company also unveiled generative AI tools for AR creators. Snap co-founder and CTO Bobby Murphy said onstage that the model is small enough to run on a smartphone and […]

Former Snap engineer launches Butterflies, a social network where AIs and humans coexist

Aisha Malik — Tue, 18 Jun 2024 16:00:00 +0000

Butterflies wants to let users create AI personas that then take on their own lives and coexist with others.

Apple Developer Academy adds AI training for students and alumni

Aisha Malik — Tue, 18 Jun 2024 14:15:42 +0000

Apple is continuing its AI push, this time with its education offering. The company announced on Tuesday that it will train all Apple Developer Academy students and mentors on the fundamentals of AI. Apple Developer Academy alumni can also take part in the training. Starting this fall, students will learn how to build, train and […]

US sues Adobe for hiding termination fees and making it difficult to cancel subscriptions

Aisha Malik — Mon, 17 Jun 2024 17:08:38 +0000

In the complaint filed on Monday, the DOJ wrote that "Adobe has harmed consumers by enrolling them in its default, most lucrative subscription plan without clearly disclosing important plan terms."

TikTok ads will now include AI avatars of creators and stock actors

Aisha Malik — Mon, 17 Jun 2024 13:00:00 +0000

TikTok announced on Monday that it’s introducing generative AI avatars of creators and stock actors for branded content and ads on its platform. The company is also launching an “AI Dubbing” tool for creators and brands to expand the reach of their ads and branded content. The new “Custom Avatars” are designed to represent a […]

YouTube is experimenting with Notes, a crowdsourced feature that lets users add context to videos

Aisha Malik — Mon, 17 Jun 2024 13:00:00 +0000

YouTube is introducing a new experimental feature that will allow viewers to add “Notes” to provide more context and information under videos, the company told TechCrunch exclusively. If the feature sounds similar, it’s because it follows the same concept as Community Notes on X (formerly Twitter). The Google-owned company says the feature can be used […]

Picsart partners with Getty Images to develop a custom AI model

Aisha Malik — Thu, 13 Jun 2024 15:00:00 +0000

Picsart, a photo-editing startup backed by SoftBank, announced on Thursday that it’s partnering with Getty Images to develop a custom model to bring AI imagery to its 150 million users. The company says the model will bring responsible AI imagery to creators, marketers and small businesses that use its platform. The model will be built from […]

FTC Chair Lina Khan tells TechCrunch the agency is pursuing the ‘mob bosses’ in Big Tech

Aisha Malik — Wed, 12 Jun 2024 00:03:48 +0000

Lina Khan says the FTC wants to be effective in its enforcement strategy, which is why it has been taking on lawsuits that “go up against some of the big guys.”

TikTok comes for Google as it quietly rolls out image search capabilities in TikTok Shop

Aisha Malik — Tue, 11 Jun 2024 18:40:53 +0000

After leading the social media landscape, TikTok appears to be interested in challenging Google’s dominance in search. The company confirmed to TechCrunch that it’s testing the ability for users to take or upload a photo to find similar products in TikTok Shop. The feature, which was first spotted by X user Jonah Manzano, is available […]

BeReal is being acquired by mobile apps and games company Voodoo for €500M

Aisha Malik — Tue, 11 Jun 2024 15:28:12 +0000

The acquisition comes as BeReal was struggling to grow its user base and was looking for a buyer.

Smart Script in iPadOS 18 will clean up your handwriting when using an Apple Pencil

Aisha Malik — Mon, 10 Jun 2024 18:05:14 +0000

With Smart Script, Apple says it's making handwriting your notes even smoother and straighter.

iOS 18 will let you hide and lock apps

Aisha Malik — Mon, 10 Jun 2024 17:34:10 +0000

Users will be able to lock an app when they hand over their phone.

Meta quietly rolls out Communities on Messenger

Aisha Malik — Fri, 07 Jun 2024 13:52:38 +0000

Meta is quietly rolling out a new “Communities” feature on Messenger, the company confirmed to TechCrunch. The feature is designed to help organizations, schools and other private groups communicate in a more organized and structured way. Meta introduced Communities on WhatsApp back in 2022. The feature lets people connect with others without needing an associated […]

Travel app Sēkr can plan your next road trip with its new AI tool

Aisha Malik — Tue, 04 Jun 2024 10:00:00 +0000

Sēkr, a startup that offers a mobile app for outdoor enthusiasts and campers, is launching a new AI tool for planning road trips. The new tool, called Copilot, is available on the startup’s updated website and app, which is used by more than 100,000 users. The company was founded in 2016 with the goal of […]

Instagram tests ‘trial reels’ that don’t display to a creator’s followers

Aisha Malik, Sarah Perez — Fri, 31 May 2024 15:37:59 +0000

Instagram is testing a way for creators to experiment with reels without committing to having them displayed on their profiles, giving the social network a possible edge over TikTok and a way for creators to test new content without pressure to perform. The company this week began global tests of this new “trial reels” feature […]

Amazon gets FAA approval to expand US drone deliveries

Aisha Malik — Thu, 30 May 2024 13:31:59 +0000

Amazon has received approval from the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to fly its delivery drones longer distances, the company announced on Thursday. Amazon says it can now expand its Prime Air service, which uses delivery drones to fly individual packages, to more customers. The FAA requires that operators maintain a line of sight to […]