Reddit aims to make 'karma' less important for first-time posters with shift to AI moderation tools | TechCrunch

Reddit is expanding its moderation tools and building stronger abuse prevention systems that it says could eventually reduce communities’ reliance on karma and account-age requirements, making it easier for legitimate newcomers to participate.

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As Gen Z reconsiders dating apps, Tinder's IRL events expand to dozens more cities | TechCrunch

Tinder is expanding its in-person events feature from an initial Los Angeles test to 26 cities worldwide by the end of September.

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Shopify says AI search is driving more traffic and sales, not replacing Google | TechCrunch

Shopify says AI isn’t cannibalizing search traffic the way it has for publishers. Instead, AI-driven traffic and orders to Shopify stores tripled year over year in Q2.

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TV Time co-founder launches Bingers to revive the beloved TV-tracking app | TechCrunch

Bingers is a new TV and movie tracker that revives the social features fans loved with TV Time, while adding support for importing their viewing history.

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Spotify expands AI remix and covers project with Merlin partnership | TechCrunch

Spotify says Merlin, which represents more than 30,000 independent labels and distributors, has joined Universal Music Group in backing its upcoming AI-powered remix and covers product. The paid tool will let fans create AI-generated covers and remixes of participating artists’ music while ensuring artists opt in, receive credit, and are compensated.

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Apple says more ex-employees may have taken confidential data to OpenAI | TechCrunch

Apple says its trade secrets investigation into OpenAI has widened. In a new court filing, Apple claims additional former staff may have retained or accessed confidential information.

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Apple finally fixed Siri. So why does it feel anticlimactic? | TechCrunch

Apple’s long-awaited AI overhaul finally makes Siri the assistant it was always supposed to be. But after years of delays, the launch lands in an AI landscape where chatbots have evolved into agents that can code, reason, create media, and complete complex tasks. Siri AI is genuinely useful, yet it arrives at a moment when simply being a capable AI assistant no longer feels revolutionary.

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Outernet turns your saved posts into real-world adventures | TechCrunch

Founded by the creators of viral offline events like San Francisco’s citywide scavenger hunt Pursuit, Outernet's app helps users save places and events they discover online, then nudges them to actually go.

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Reddit is testing a new way to watch — and listen to — its viral posts | TechCrunch

Reddit is developing a new video experience that lets users watch — or simply listen to — its most popular posts, taking inspiration from the viral TikTok videos that pair Reddit stories with gameplay or other footage. CEO Steve Huffman said the feature is already in the works and could begin testing later this year.

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Apple says gaming slowdown and App Store changes hurt services growth | TechCrunch

Apple said a slowdown in mobile gaming and changes to the App Store’s business model — including court-ordered payment rule changes in the U.S. — weighed on its services business, even as the company topped 1.5 billion paid subscriptions.

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LinkedIn adds a button to report AI-generated 'slop' | TechCrunch

LinkedIn is introducing new ways to reduce low-quality AI-generated posts, including a “seems like AI slop” reporting option. It's also replacing its own AI writing feature with a proofreading tool.

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Meta says AI is making it easier to build new apps — and more are coming | TechCrunch

Meta says AI is making it dramatically easier to build and launch new consumer apps, with CEO Mark Zuckerberg telling investors the company has more new consumer products on the way following a recent wave of releases for Facebook Groups, Marketplace sellers, Instagram, and gaming.

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Zuckerberg says Meta's enterprise AI opportunity extends beyond agents | TechCrunch

On the company’s second-quarter earnings call Wednesday, CEO Mark Zuckerberg said Meta sees a “large enterprise opportunity” spanning AI agents, APIs, compute, and internal software.

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Google brings its age-assurance technology to Android developers worldwide | TechCrunch

Google is expanding its Play Age Signals API, giving Android developers a privacy-preserving way to tailor experiences based on users’ age ranges.

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Hint, a new AI startup co-founded by Martha Stewart, offers an AI assistant for homeowners | TechCrunch

AI home management startup Hint, co-founded by Martha Stewart, wants to become an “AI for your home,” combining property records, maintenance schedules, home documents, and an AI assistant into a single app.

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Ozlo's Sleepbuds 2 build on Bose's sleep earbud legacy | TechCrunch

Ozlo’s first major update to its sleep earbuds introduces longer battery life, improved connectivity, enhanced audio, and new sleep features as the startup continues the product line once abandoned by Bose.

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These App Store hidden gems prove there’s still room for great software in the AI era | TechCrunch

Despite predictions that AI agents could make traditional apps obsolete, developers are shipping new software faster than ever. From smarter bookmarking tools and neighborhood marketplaces to digital pen pals and nature journals, here are the latest App Store finds worth adding to your Home Screen.

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PayPal leaves the door open to a higher takeover offer following earnings beat | TechCrunch

After reporting better-than-expected Q2 results, PayPal said it remains focused on its AI-driven turnaround, but would consider a deal that creates more value for shareholders.

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Apple sued after alleged App Store crypto scam cost users $1.8M | TechCrunch

Apple is facing a lawsuit from three users who say they collectively lost more than $1.8 million after downloading a fraudulent crypto wallet from the App Store, challenging the company’s longstanding claims that its app review process keeps users safe from scams.

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Google's AI search is rapidly becoming the default, new data shows | TechCrunch

Google’s AI Overviews now appear in 43% of searches, underscoring how quickly AI-generated answers are becoming the default way people discover information online.

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Why Cognition bought Poke: AI personality is becoming a competitive advantage | TechCrunch

AI coding startup Cognition has acquired Poke, the AI assistant you text like a friend, in a deal valuing the startup in the low nine figures. The acquisition brings Poke’s conversational style and interaction model to Cognition’s coding agent Devin, reflecting a growing belief that how AI assistants interact with users is as important as the models powering them.

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Bluesky’s AI assistant Attie expands into an open social research tool | TechCrunch

Users can now ask Attie questions about news, trends, and conversations on Bluesky and other apps on the AT Protocol.

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Ford bets on Apple for its next-generation of EVs | TechCrunch

Ford is the first automaker to use a new set of developer tools that will let it embed Apple Maps navigation and mapping directly into its vehicles' infotainment systems.

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Social media addiction lawsuit against Meta is dropped | TechCrunch

A closely watched social media addiction lawsuit that had been set to go to trial next week has been dropped after the plaintiff voluntarily dismissed his claims against Meta, leaving none of the major tech companies facing trial in the case.

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Yope raises $12.3M to build a private social network without algorithms or ads | TechCrunch

Yope, a fast-growing social app focused on private groups of friends and family, has raised $12.3 million in seed funding. Instead of chasing creators and algorithmic feeds, the startup is betting that the future of social networking lies in small, private communities powered by messaging, photo sharing, and AI features designed to strengthen real-world relationships.

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Substack's new tool tells you who's been writing their newsletters with AI | TechCrunch

Substack is giving readers a way to estimate how much of a newsletter was written by AI, signaling a broader shift toward transparency around AI-assisted content.

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AI and the rise of the universal entertainment app | TechCrunch

Over the past decade, streaming platforms competed by dominating individual formats like music, video, podcasts, or audiobooks. Now, as AI makes it easier to create, organize, and recommend content, those distinctions are fading, pushing companies like Spotify, Netflix, YouTube, and TikTok to become all-purpose entertainment destinations instead.

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After TikTok, Snap settles social media addiction case | TechCrunch

TikTok recently settled its portion of the case with the plaintiff ahead of a jury trial that starts next week in Los Angeles. YouTube has also reached a deal, leaving Meta as the only remaining defendant.

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X relaunches a rebuilt Android app after year-long effort | TechCrunch

X says the rebuilt version of its Android app is now available globally.

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YouTube clarifies policies around AI slop and upsetting videos | TechCrunch

YouTube has updated its monetization policies to more clearly define the kinds of AI-generated and low-quality videos that can’t earn ad revenue.

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