Photo-sharing app Locket is banking on a new celebrity-focused feature to fuel its growth
Celebrity Lockets is a new feature where celebrities can engage with their most loyal followers on their home screens.
Substack rival Ghost connects to the open social web with its latest public release
While the ActivityPub integration is a main selling point for Ghost 6, this major release includes a number of other changes and new additions.
Elon Musk says he’s bringing back Vine’s archive
Elon Musk says the company will bring back Vine's archive of videos back online.
TikTok launches ‘TikTok Pro’ in Europe with built-in charity program
The app features TikTok's new "Sunshine Programme," which allows users to support charitable organizations.
Instagram now requires users to have at least 1,000 followers to go live
Until now, Instagram allowed anyone to go live, regardless of their follower count or whether their account was public or private.
Reddit plans to unify its search interface as it looks to become a search engine
Reddit is working on a new unified interface that will merge its legacy search and AI-powered Q&A features, as well as make its search box more prominently visible in the app.
Reddit revenue soars as it bets on AI and advertising
Reddit reported its Q2 earnings, and itâs clear that its focus on AI has ramped up significantly.
Twitter’s former Trust & Safety head details the challenges facing decentralized social platforms
Yoel Roth shares concerns about the open social web's ability to combat misinformation, spam, and other illegal content.
The sequel to ‘The Social Network’ may have just found its lead actors
While the 2010 original film focused on Mark Zuckerberg's rise, âSocial Network Part IIâ is said to draw from Jeff Horwitz's âThe Facebook Files,â which exposed Facebook's harmful effects on teens and its role in spreading misinformation.
The best dating apps arenât even dating apps
With dating app fatigue rising, some peopl are finding love in unexpected places â the forums and sites they use to pass idle time online, as opposed to those dedicated to online dating.
TikTok merges its Core Product and Trust & Safety teams
As part of the changes, TikTok's head of Operations and Trust & Safety Adam Presser will become the General Manager of TikTok USDS, a separate entity of TikTok that's tasked with safeguarding U.S. national security interests, TechCrunch confirmed with TikTok.
Zuckerberg: AI increased the time spent on Facebook and Instagram in Q2
Overall, Meta estimated that over 3.4 billion people used one of its "family of apps" on a daily basis.
Germ brings end-to-end encrypted messages to Bluesky
Germ's new app lets users send end-to-end encrypted messages on Bluesky. TechCrunch speaks with the Germ founders to hear why they came up with the idea.
Footnotes, TikTok’s crowdsourced fact-checks, launches in the US
All U.S. TikTok users are able to view the notes that have been rated as helpful and submit their own ratings in return.
TikTok adds new parental controls, tools for creators
The social network is bringing new parental controls to Family Pairing, its feature that allows parents to link their accounts with their teen's account to customize safety settings.
Tea app’s second data breach exposed over a million private messages
Dating safety app Tea experienced a second data breach in as many weeks, exposing over a million sensitive messages between users.
YouTube rolls out age estimation tech to identify US teens and apply additional protections
YouTube is introducing age detection technology to identify teens on the platform in the U.S. and apply prtections.
Dating safety app Tea breached, exposing 72,000 user images
Tea, an app that allows women to post anonymous comments about men theyâve supposedly dated, announced Friday that it has suffered a data breach, with hackers gaining access to 72,000 images.
How a Y Combinator food-delivery app used TikTok to soar in the App Store
The internet trend is simple: A friend or family member looks into the camera and tells viewers, in a slightly aggressive tone, that they are about to witness a presentation and that they better be nice. Thatâs what Kendall, the sister of Lucious McDaniel IV, did, and after she stepped aside, her brother pitched his […]
X to test using Community Notes to find the posts everyone likes
X is piloting a new feature that will help to identify the platform's best posts. The system is similar to how Community Notes fact-checking works.
Snapchat will now let your friends know you’ve made it home safe
Snap Map's new "Home Safe" feature sends one-time alerts to friends, so you don't need to remember to message others that you're back safely.
Open source X rival Mastodon begins raising funds with new in-app donation feature
Mastodon is experimenting with a new way to raise money: in-app donation banners.
Instagram adds new protections for accounts that primarily feature children
The update will impact the accounts of family vloggers/creators and parents running accounts for "kidfluencers," both of which have faced criticism for the risks associated with sharing children's lives on social media.
Threads adds improved content performance metrics for creators
The Meta-owned platform says the updates are focused on helping creators build audiences.
Twitch starts testing vertical video streams
Twitch's tests are not widespread at this point, as AppSensa's research only found a handful of references in the app's code that mentioned the tests would focus on just "a few streamers" for the time being.
Meta appoints generative AI VP to run Threads
Meta appointed Connor Hayes, Meta's VP of product for generative AI, to become the head of Threads.
Jack Dorsey pumps $10 million into a nonprofit focused on open-source social media
Jack Dorsey backs nonprofit 'and Other Stuff' with $10M to build open social technology.
Beeper’s all-in-one messaging app relaunches with an on-device model and premium upgrades
Multi-service messaging app Beeper, which allows people to connect to all their chat apps from one interface, is relaunching its app on Wednesday to offer a more secure version that no longer requires use of its own cloud services.
Week in Review: X CEO Linda Yaccarino steps down
Welcome back to Week in Review! We’ve got tons of news for you this week, including a shakeup at X, Hugging Face’s new robot, new phones from Nothing and Samsung, and a whole lot more. Have a great weekend! Off to do something else: X CEO Linda Yaccarino stepped down this week after a tumultuous […]
xAI and Grok apologize for âhorrific behaviorâ
In a series of posts on X, the AI chatbot Grok apologized for what it admitted was âhorrific behavior.â The posts appear to be an official statement from xAI, the Elon Musk-led company behind Grok, as opposed to an AI-generated explanation for Grokâs posts. (xAI recently acquired X, where Grok is prominently featured.)
France is investigating X over foreign interference, while a MP also criticizes Grok
France is investigating Elon Muskâs X and a member of parliament, Ãric Bothorel, is criticizing Grok's content.
They took away Linda Yaccarino’s blue check!
Linda Yaccarino stepped down yesterday as CEO of X.
As X loses its CEO, daily usage is down and competition is growing
X is still the dominant social media platform, but its daily active user base has declined and competitor Threads is seeing higher rates of growth.
X’s ad business improved under departing CEO Linda Yaccarino, but it’s still tough times ahead
In the U.S., ad spending was up 62% year-over-year in the first half of 2025.
X takes Grok offline, changes system prompts after more antisemitic outbursts
Elon Musk's X has taken the automated account for Grok, its AI chatbot, offline after it spent Tuesday afternoon pushing antisemitic narratives.
Linda Yaccarino steps down as CEO of Elon Musk’s X
Linda Yaccarino, CEO of X, stepped down from her role on Wednesday morning after two years.
Grok is being antisemitic again and also the sky is blue
Grok, the AI chatbot powered by Elon Musk's xAI company, is back with more antisemitic rants.
Mastodon’s latest update readies the app for Quote Posts, revamps design
Mastodon 4.4 takes the first steps towards implementing Quote Posts, and also brings a host of design and UX changes.
Bluesky users can customize their notifications, including activity alerts from their favorite accounts
Bluesky updated its notifications to allowing users to personalize their experience, including the option to be notified only when accounts reply to them.
Jack Dorsey working on Bluetooth messaging app, Bitchat
Block CEO and Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey wrote in an X post on Sunday night that he spent his weekend creating an app called Bitchat (presumably a combination of the words “bit” and “chat,” and not the other combination of words that it looks like). Bitchat is a messaging app that operates through Bluetooth mesh […]
Threads is nearing X’s daily app users, new data shows
Threads' mobile app for iOS and Android saw 115.1 million daily active users, representing 127.8% year-over-year growth.
âImprovedâ Grok criticizes Democrats and Hollywoodâs âJewish executivesâ
On Friday morning, Elon Musk declared, âWe have improved @Grok significantly. You should notice a difference when you ask Grok questions.â
X blocks Reuters accounts in India
The main Reuters news account, as well as the Reuters World account, have apparently been inaccessible to X users in India since Saturday evening.
Ask not for whom the Louvre of Bluesky tolls, it tolls for thee
Itâs a sad weekend over at Bluesky, where one of the best accounts has disappeared â though we can still hope for its resurrection.
Not everyone is thrilled with Threads’ DMs
Earlier this week, Instagram Threads launched what the company said was its most-requested feature to date: direct messages, also known as DMs. However, the company is now facing a bit of a user backlash over the addition, as users, primarily women, are arguing that there should be a way to opt out of DMs entirely, […]
Everything you need to know about Flashes, the Bluesky-based Instagram alternative
The app, which is now available in beta, offers a different way to browse the visual posts on Bluesky.
TikTok lays off more employees working on TikTok Shop US
TikTok Shop US is conducting its third round of layoffs in as many months.
Meta users say paying for Verified support has been useless in the face of mass bans
Users have shared their interactions with Meta Verified support reps, who they claim have been dismissive and unhelpful.
X is piloting a program that lets AI chatbots generate Community Notes
The social platform X will pilot a feature that allows AI chatbots to generate Community Notes, a Twitter-era feature that Elon Musk has expanded under his ownership of the service now called X.
Automattic puts Tumblr migration to WordPress on hold
Automattic CEO Matt Mullenweg confirmed that the company is no longer working on migrating its Tumblr blogging platform to WordPress, as previously announced.
Nikita Bier joins X as Head of Product: ‘I’ve officially posted my way to the top’
Elon Musk’s X has appointed serial entrepreneur and growth hacker Nikita Bier as its new Head of Product. “I’ve officially posted my way to the top,” Bier wrote on X, alluding to his large presence on the app. Bier is best known as the founder of apps like Gas, which was acquired by Discord, and […]
Threads launches its own DM inbox, as app moves further away from Instagram
At launch, DMs will be available in most markets where Threads is available, except for Japan, Australia, the U.K., and the E.U.
Trump’s prospective TikTok buyer reportedly includes Oracle, Blackstone, a16z
After pushing the TikTok sale date back yet again, President Donald Trump said in an interview on Sunday that he had found a potential buyer for the ByteDance-owned platform.
Meta adds business voice calling to WhatsApp, explores AI-powered product reccomendations
WhatsApp is adding more AI features to its business suite. The company on Tuesday announced it’s introducing the ability for large businesses to reach customers through voice calls, which will allow the app to explore the use of AI-powered voice agents. The company is also looking into using AI to recommend products to users. WhatsApp […]
Instagram now lets you share Spotify songs with sound to Stories
Instagram announced Monday it's finally adding the ability for users to listen to previews of songs they've shared from Spotify to Stories.
Tinder to require new users in California to use facial recognition tech to verify their profiles
Tinder is requiring new users in California to use facial recognition technology to verify their profiles.
Trump says heâs found a buyer for TikTok
A group of âvery wealthy peopleâ is set to buy short-form video app TikTok, according to President Donald Trump.
Week in Review: Â Meta’s AI recruiting blitz
Welcome back to Week in Review! Lots of news for you this week, including Travis Kalanick's possible return, CoreWeave's CEO is now worth $10 billion, Apple users aren't happy with how the company is promoting its new F1 movie, and much more.Â
TikTok is testing its own version of Instagram’s ‘broadcast channels’
TikTok is testing a new bulletin boards feature, the social network confirmed to TechCrunch on Friday.
Meta buys over 1 GW of renewables to power its data centers
Meta has been on a renewable buying spree in recent months.
Threads now lets you manage Hidden Words separately from Instagram, set time limits
Threads, Metaâs competitor to X, now has its own Hidden Words settings that operates separately from Instagram.
Air quality tests around xAI’s Memphis data center raise questions
A legal group is questioning why a key pollutant was omitted from air quality tests near xAI's data center
Facebook Group admins complain of mass bans; Meta says it’s fixing the problem
After a wave of mass bans affecting Instagram and Facebook users alike, Meta users are now complaining that Facebook Groups are also being impacted by mass suspensions. According to individual complaints and organized efforts on sites like Reddit to share information, the bans have affected thousands of groups both in the U.S. and abroad and […]
TikTok parent ByteDance is shutting down its short-lived book publisher
The TikTok parent company ByteDance started a book publisher in 2023, but it's already shutting it down.
LinkedIn CEO says AI writing assistant is not as popular as expected
While LinkedIn users seem to have embraced AI, thereâs one area thatâs seen less uptake than expected, according to CEO Ryan Roslansky: the AI-generated suggestions for polishing your LinkedIn posts.
Week in Review: Â Meta reveals its Oakley smart glasses
Welcome back to Week in Review! Lots in store for you today, including Wix’s latest acquisition, Meta’s new smart glasses, a look at the new Digg, and much more. Have a great weekend! Smart specs: Meta and Oakley have teamed up on a new pair of smart glasses that can record 3K video, play music, […]
X app code points to a physical card coming to X Money
X’s plans for a payments service may extend beyond the digital realm, new data suggests. According to findings from mobile app intelligence firm App Sensa, the X app has been updated over the past few weeks with several references related to a physical debit card, which can be customized with your X username. Dozens of […]
Bluesky briefly suspended JD Vance’s account after he joined
Bluesky's automated impersonation detection system took down JD Vance's new account, but it was restored soon after.
A glitch is turning Threads into a literal echo chamber
A Threads glitch is making it look like everyone on your feed is saying the same thing.
Facebook will soon roll out support for passkeys on Android and iOS
Passkey logins make it harder for bad actors to remotely access your accounts because they require physical access to your phone.
Here’s your first look at the rebooted Digg
Digg launched its iOS app to testers who are a part of its Groundbreakers community of early adopters.
YouTube launches new Shopping product stickers for Shorts
YouTube found that Shorts with Shopping product stickers saw over 40% more clicks on products than Shorts with the Shopping button.Â
Trump set to delay TikTok ban with yet another extension
U.S. President Donald Trump will issue another extension to decide the fate of TikTok, pushing it by 90 days, the White House said on Tuesday.
Tumblr’s content filtering systems have been falsely flagging posts as ‘mature,’ users blame AI
Tumblr users are complaining that content is being falsely labeled as mature, the latest tech company to grapple with automated flagging and takedowns.
Facebook announces that all videos on its platform will soon be shared as reels
Facebook announced on Tuesday that all videos on its platform will soon be shared as reels, regardless of their length or orientation.
Threads expands open social web integrations with fediverse feed, user profile search
Posts from federated users will be found on the Following tab of the Threads app.
Instagram tests a reposts feature
Instagram is testing the ability for users to repost posts, the company confirmed to TechCrunch on Monday.
Instagram users complain of mass bans, pointing finger at AI
Instagram users report that their accounts were banned even though they had not violated the company's terms of service or other policies.
Threads is testing spoiler text, Zuckerberg says
Threads, Meta's microblogging platform, is testing spoiler text. This is a nice quality-of-life upgrade on the user side, but it also helps Meta by encouraging more conversations about pop culture without people worrying about spoiling others.
WhatsApp is adding ads to the Status screen
After years of not showing any ads, WhatsApp is adding ads to Status updates.
Week in Review: WWDC 2025 recap
Welcome back to Week in Review! We have lots for you this week, including what came out of WWDC 2025; The Browser Company's AI browser; OpenAI's partnership with Mattel; and your iPad might finally be a true work machine.
Beyond Bluesky: These are the apps building social experiences on the AT Protocol
A year ago, Bluesky was opening up to the public and was known as one of the many X competitors that emerged after Elon Musk acquired the network formerly known as Twitter. Today, Bluesky’s social network has grown to over 36.5 million users, while the technology it’s built upon — the AT Protocol (or ATProto […]
The Meta AI app is a privacy disaster
Meta does not indicate to users what their privacy settings are as they post, or where they are even posting to. So, if you log into Meta AI with Instagram, and your Instagram account is public, then so too are your searches.
Bluesky backlash misses the point
Not only is Bluesky more than just a Twitter/X alternative, it's just one app in a wider social ecosystem built on open technology.
Meta teams with XGS Energy to build a 150 MW geothermal power plant
XGS Energy will build the new power plant in New Mexico.
Snapchat adds new features for creators, including an easier way to edit videos
Snapchat is introducing a suite of new tools and features to make it easier for creators to post and share content on its platform.