February 9, 2025

Web and Technology News

Apple announces ‘Tap to Pay’ feature that will allow iPhones to accept contactless payments

Apple has announced plans to introduce a new Tap to Pay feature for iPhone that turns the device into a contactless payment terminal. The company says that later this year, U.S. merchants will be able to accept Apple Pay and other contactless payments, such as credit cards and debit cards, by using an iPhone and […]

Fantastical lets you share a link to schedule meetings — no Calendly required

Flexibits, the company behind popular calendar app Fantastical, has added several new features that should help with scheduling. While Calendly seems to be the dominating player in this space, Flexibits pitches its new ‘Openings’ feature as a privacy-first scheduling feature. And, of course, it’s built into Fantastical directly, which means that you don’t need another […]

Spain’s Rosita Longevity, an app that helps seniors be more active, is headed to Florida

Hearts Radiant, a Spanish startup that’s building a “longevity coach” for seniors — with the goal of extending quality of life through app-based personalized coaching designed to combat and even prevent frailty — has closed a seed round of funding as it gears up to launch in the US, eyeing Florida’s 4M+ over 65s. We […]

Artiphon drops the hardware requirement for its musical camera app, Orbacam

We’ve been following Artiphon closely over the years. Back in late 2020, I took a liking to the music startup’s latest smart instrument, the Orba. It’s not a complex musical instrument, by any stretch, but as a fun little handheld sample/MIDI interface, it’s a great way to creatively kill some time during a global pandemic. […]

Artiphon drops the hardware requirement for its musical camera app, Orbacam

We’ve been following Artiphon closely over the years. Back in late 2020, I took a liking to the music startup’s latest smart instrument, the Orba. It’s not a complex musical instrument, by any stretch, but as a fun little handheld sample/MIDI interface, it’s a great way to creatively kill some time during a global pandemic. […]

American Express launches its first all-digital consumer checking account

American Express has launched its first all-digital consumer checking account, the company announced on Tuesday. The new offering, American Express Rewards Checking, is currently available for eligible U.S. Consumer Card Members. The launch comes as the emergence of digital banking services is causing traditional banks to enhance their digital strategies and offer more competitive banking […]

American Express launches its first all-digital consumer checking account

American Express has launched its first all-digital consumer checking account, the company announced on Tuesday. The new offering, American Express Rewards Checking, is currently available for eligible U.S. Consumer Card Members. The launch comes as the emergence of digital banking services is causing traditional banks to enhance their digital strategies and offer more competitive banking […]

TikTok updates its policies with focus on minor and LGBTQ safety, age appropriate content and more

Months after TikTok was hauled into its first-ever major congressional hearing over platform safety, the company is today announcing a series of policy updates and plans for new features and technologies aimed at making the video-based social network a safer and more secure environment, particularly for younger users. The changes attempt to address some concerns […]

Spotify will invest $100M in content from underrepresented creators, says CEO Daniel Ek

In the latest installment of the Spotify-Rogan saga, CEO Daniel Ek sent out a company memo on Sunday addressing Joe Rogan’s use of harmful racial slurs in past episodes of his podcast. Over 70 of these past episodes have now been removed from Spotify. In the memo, which was published by The Hollywood Reporter, Ek […]

Apple fined again over Dutch dating app payments order

The bill for Apple’s antitrust stand off in the Netherlands over dating apps’ payment methods has ticked up by another €5 million — and now stands at €15M, the Authority for Consumers and Markets (ACM) confirmed today. The penalty relates to an order by the competition authority requiring Apple to allow local dating apps to […]

Bumble makes its first acquisition with deal for French Gen Z dating app, Fruitz

Dating app company Bumble, Inc. is making its first acquisition with today’s news that it’s adding the fast-growing French dating app Fruitz to its family of applications. Though Bumble, Inc. already has an international footprint as the parent company to Badoo, which is particularly popular in Europe, it sees the addition of Fruitz as a […]

Bumble makes its first acquisition with deal for French Gen Z dating app, Fruitz

Dating app company Bumble, Inc. is making its first acquisition with today’s news that it’s adding the fast-growing French dating app Fruitz to its family of applications. Though Bumble, Inc. already has an international footprint as the parent company to Badoo, which is particularly popular in Europe, it sees the addition of Fruitz as a […]

This Week in Apps: Open App Markets Act, Facebook loses daily users, Snap turns a profit

Welcome back to This Week in Apps, the weekly TechCrunch series that recaps the latest in mobile OS news, mobile applications and the overall app economy. The app industry continues to grow, with a record number of downloads and consumer spending across both the iOS and Google Play stores combined in 2021, according to the […]

This Week in Apps: Open App Markets Act, Facebook loses daily users, Snap turns a profit

Welcome back to This Week in Apps, the weekly TechCrunch series that recaps the latest in mobile OS news, mobile applications and the overall app economy. The app industry continues to grow, with a record number of downloads and consumer spending across both the iOS and Google Play stores combined in 2021, according to the […]

Spotify CEO hints HiFi tier delay is related to licensing issues

Spotify CEO Daniel Ek has hinted that the delay of the streaming service’s HiFi subscription tier is related to licensing issues. Speaking to analysts and investors during Spotify’s quarterly and annual earnings release on Wednesday, Ek stated that the company doesn’t have much to share about its plans for the HiFi tier, but noted discussions […]

Spotify CEO hints HiFi tier delay is related to licensing issues

Spotify CEO Daniel Ek has hinted that the delay of the streaming service’s HiFi subscription tier is related to licensing issues. Speaking to analysts and investors during Spotify’s quarterly and annual earnings release on Wednesday, Ek stated that the company doesn’t have much to share about its plans for the HiFi tier, but noted discussions […]

Spotify CEO hints HiFi tier delay is related to licensing issues

Spotify CEO Daniel Ek has hinted that the delay of the streaming service’s HiFi subscription tier is related to licensing issues. Speaking to analysts and investors during Spotify’s quarterly and annual earnings release on Wednesday, Ek stated that the company doesn’t have much to share about its plans for the HiFi tier, but noted discussions […]

Apple to charge 27% fee for Dutch dating apps using alternative payment options

Following a court order, developers working on dating apps don’t have to use Apple’s in-app purchase system in the Netherlands. And because those purchases aren’t handled by Apple, the company doesn’t take its usual 30% cut on digital purchases. But developers who use a third-party payment system still have to pay a commission. And Apple […]