Sarah Perez
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Lifestyle benefits startup Fringe gets a pandemic boost, raises seed round
Employers today often use perks to attract new talent in the form of discounts and deals, commuter funds, gym memberships, childcare, free lunches and more. But the pandemic has impacted what sort of
YouTube to launch parental control features for families with tweens and teens
YouTube announced this morning it will soon introduce a new experience designed for teens and tweens who are now too old for the schoolager-focused YouTube Kids app, but who may not be ready to explor
Streamlabs launches a ‘link in bio’ website builder that includes tipping
A number of online creators and influencers have adopted mobile-friendly “link in bio” websites, like Linktree, to point their fans to their social profiles or other content they want to p
Android’s latest update will let you schedule texts, secure your passwords and more
Google today announced the next set of features coming to Android, including a new password checkup tool, a way to schedule your texts, along with other improvements to products like its screen reader
Twitter relaunches test that asks users to revise harmful replies
Twitter is running a new test that will ask users to pause and think before they tweet. According to the company’s announcement, when Twitter detects what appears to be a potentially harmful or
Spotify to test paid podcast subscriptions this spring via new Anchor feature
During its livestreamed event today, Spotify officially confirmed its plans to launch paid podcast subscriptions on its platform. As a first step, the company will this spring begin beta testing a new
Spotify to launch Spotify Audience Network, an audio ad marketplace
Spotify provided more details today about how it plans to monetize its investments in podcasts. The company said it’s launching a new audio advertising marketplace, the Spotify Audience Network,
Spotify announces beta launch of audience development tool for artists, self-serve ‘Marquee’ ads
As part of its news announced at its live event today, Spotify announced a set of new creator tools and resources, including the expansion of Marquee, the launch of a tool called “Discovery Mode
Spotify to launch a new high-end subscription, Spotify HiFi
Spotify today announced its plans to roll out a new high-end subscription service, called Spotify HiFi, along with other new features and updates, including new content deals, and features for creator
App spending to reach $270B by 2025, new forecast predicts
A new market forecast predicts app spending will reach $270 billion by the year 2025, including paid downloads, in-app purchases and subscriptions. According to data from Sensor Tower, in-app spending
Netflix launches ‘Downloads for You,’ a new feature that automatically downloads content you’ll like
Netflix today is launching a new feature that aims to bring more offline content to users who opt-in automatic downloads. With “Downloads for You” enabled, the Netflix app will download re
This Week in Apps: Sneak peek at TikTok shopping, new iOS and Android betas, kids’ app Prodigy hit with FTC complaint
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 is as hot as ever, with
Following backlash, WhatsApp to roll out in-app banner to better explain its privacy update
Last month, Facebook-owned WhatsApp announced it would delay enforcement of its new privacy terms, following a backlash from confused users which later led to a legal challenge in India and various re
Apple TV+ arrives on Google TV devices, starting with Chromecast
Google announced today the Apple TV+ streaming service has now arrived on the Google TV platform, starting with Chromecast with Google TV. It will also become available on Google TVs from both Sony an
Report: Social audio app Clubhouse has topped 8 million global downloads
Social audio app Clubhouse has now topped 8 million global downloads, despite still being in a prelaunch, invite-only mode, according to new data released today by mobile data and analytics firm App A
Varo Bank raises another $63M, led by NBA star Russell Westbrook
Varo Bank, which last year became the first U.S. neobank to be granted a national bank charter, announced this morning it’s raised another $63 million in new funding. The round was led by NBA st
Google suspends Trump 2020 app from Play Store for non-functionality
Google has suspended the Trump 2020 campaign app from the Google Play Store for policy violations, the company confirmed, following a report from Android Police which noted the app was unable to load
Google to roll out slate of over 50 updates for Classroom, Meet and other online education tools
Google today introduced a suite of updates for its online education tools whose adoption and further development have been accelerated by the pandemic, including Google Classroom, Google Meet and the
Gravy raises $4.5M for its service that helps subscription businesses recover failed payments
Gravy, a startup helping subscription-based businesses recover failed payments, has raised $4.5 million in Series A funding for its specialized combination of technology and a human workspace that wor
This Week in Apps: Bumble’s IPO, Google’s missing privacy labels, a developer crusades against scams
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 is as hot as ever, with a