Uber expands into hotel bookings with new app features
Uber has launched hotel booking in the United States, leveraging agentic AI to accelerate development and expand its platform beyond ride-hailing and food delivery.
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1161 storiesShapes raises $8M to bring AI characters into group chats
Shapes has emerged from stealth with $8 million in seed funding to integrate AI characters into group chats, aiming to facilitate social interaction and prevent chat stagnation.
Google Translate adds pronunciation practice features
Google Translate is celebrating its 20th anniversary by launching a new pronunciation practice feature, currently available in the U.S. and India for English, Spanish, and Hindi.
Jack Dorsey-backed Divine brings back Vine’s short-form video
Divine, a Jack Dorsey-backed Vine reboot built on the Nostr protocol, has launched to the public with an archive of roughly 500,000 videos and no revenue model.
Amazon adds conversational AI Q&A to product pages
Amazon launched an AI-powered audio Q&A feature that allows users to ask questions about products and receive real-time, conversational responses, currently available in the U.S.
Lovable launches mobile app despite Apple’s vibe-coding crackdown
Lovable has launched its AI app builder on iOS and Android, seemingly complying with Apple’s security guidelines regarding vibe-coding tools that download new code.
Apple introduces 12-month subscription commitment option
Apple is introducing a subscription option allowing monthly payments for 12-month commitments, though the feature is currently unavailable in the U.S. and Singapore.
Snapchat launches AI-powered sponsored ads in chat
Snapchat is rolling out AI Sponsored Snaps, allowing brands to deploy AI agents directly within the app's chat interface to drive product discovery and user engagement.
YouTube tests AI-powered search for guided results
YouTube is testing an AI-powered interactive search feature that provides step-by-step results, currently available to Premium subscribers in the U.S. aged 18 and older.
Red Hat engineer releases tool to secure OpenClaw agents
Red Hat engineer Sally O’Malley released Tank OS, an open-source tool designed to help IT professionals deploy and manage OpenClaw AI agents more safely in enterprise environments.
Otter launches enterprise search via Model Context Protocol
Otter is launching enterprise search using the Model Context Protocol, allowing users to query data across connected apps like Gmail, Notion, and Salesforce alongside meeting notes.
Letterboxd reportedly seeks new owner as Tiny looks to sell
Letterboxd, the social platform for film buffs, is reportedly seeking a new owner, with controlling investor Tiny courting potential buyers for the company.
Spotify launches new fitness hub with Peloton content
Spotify is launching an in-app "Fitness" hub featuring over 1,400 on-demand Peloton classes and content from wellness creators to target its workout-focused users.
Apps to help break the cycle of doomscrolling
With 64% of Americans reporting they doomscroll, these apps offer productive alternatives to help mitigate the negative effects on mental health and attention span.
Series raises $5.1 million to build an AI social network in iMessage
Series, a social networking app operating entirely through iMessage, has raised $5.1 million in early-stage funding to expand its AI-driven connection platform.
X shifts from 'everything app' vision with new XChat launch
X has launched XChat, a stand-alone iOS messaging app, marking a strategic shift away from its 'everything app' vision while replacing its Communities feature.
Nothing brings system-level AI dictation to its phones
Nothing has launched Essential Voice, an AI-powered dictation tool offering system-level integration and support for over 100 languages across its smartphone lineup.
Instagram tests new Instants app for ephemeral photo sharing
Instagram is testing a new standalone app called Instants in Spain and Italy, which allows users to share ephemeral, unedited photos that disappear after 24 hours.
Former OpenSea CTO launches Noscroll to replace doomscrolling
Noscroll, an AI-powered bot from former OpenSea CTO Nadav Hollander, curates social and news feeds into text digests for $9.99 per month to help users avoid doomscrolling.
Bluesky adds swipeable carousels and boosts photo resolution
Bluesky has released version 1.121 of its app, doubling photo upload limits to 2MB and introducing a swipeable carousel, updates that could improve its competitiveness against X and Threads.