Apple announces contingent pricing for subscriptions, letting developers give users a discounted price if they're actively subscribed to another subscription (Chance Miller/9to5Mac)

Chance Miller / 9to5Mac:
Apple announces contingent pricing for subscriptions, letting developers give users a discounted price if they're actively subscribed to another subscription  —  Apple has announced a new “contingent pricing” feature for subscriptions in the App Store.  According to the company …

OpenAI says ByteDance's use of its API was minimal, suspends ByteDance's account while it investigates a report that ByteDance used OpenAI's API for its own LLM (Alex Heath/The Verge)

Alex Heath / The Verge:
OpenAI says ByteDance's use of its API was minimal, suspends ByteDance's account while it investigates a report that ByteDance used OpenAI's API for its own LLM  —  After my report was published, OpenAI spokesperson Niko Felix sent the following statement confirming that ByteDance's account has been suspended:

How Spamouflage Dragon, China's largest disinformation campaign per Google and Meta, infiltrates platforms to promote Chinese policies and criticize dissidents (Margi Murphy/Bloomberg)

Margi Murphy / Bloomberg:
How Spamouflage Dragon, China's largest disinformation campaign per Google and Meta, infiltrates platforms to promote Chinese policies and criticize dissidents  —  ‘Mold of the internet’ has appeared on 50 platforms, researchers say  —  When a Twitter account for Utah business coach Spencer …

Samsung Galaxy S24 series may not witness a price hike: All details

Samsung is all set to launch its next generation Galaxy S-series smartphones at an event in San Francisco in January 2024. The Galaxy S24 series is expected to consist of three smartphones - Galaxy S24, Galaxy S24+, and Galaxy S24 Ultra. According to a Korean publication, Samsung plans to launch the new series at the same price as its predecessors. Additionally, the Galaxy S24 is rumored to support emergency texting via satellite connection, a feature introduced by Apple with the iPhone 14 Pro series. The Galaxy S24 Ultra is expected to feature a 6.8-inch QHD+ Dynamic AMOLED LTPO display, a Titanium frame, Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chipset, 200MP primary camera, 5000mAh battery, and 45W charging. https://ift.tt/1d26rB8

Cox Media Group claims it can listen to conversations of consumers through microphones in smartphones, smart TVs, and other devices and use it to target ads (Joseph Cox/404 Media)

Joseph Cox / 404 Media:
Cox Media Group claims it can listen to conversations of consumers through microphones in smartphones, smart TVs, and other devices and use it to target ads  —  “What would it mean for your business if you could target potential clients who are actively discussing their need for your services in their day-to-day conversations?

How Microsoft's 10-year-old Digital Crime Unit uses unique legal tactics and the company's technical reach to disrupt global cybercrime and state-backed actors (Lily Hay Newman/Wired)

Lily Hay Newman / Wired:
How Microsoft's 10-year-old Digital Crime Unit uses unique legal tactics and the company's technical reach to disrupt global cybercrime and state-backed actors  —  Ten years in, Microsoft's DCU has honed its strategy of using both unique legal tactics and the company's technical reach …

WhatsApp starts rolling out new layout for Android users: All details

WhatsApp introduces new layout for status updates header, rolling out to Android beta testers. The revamped layout includes two additional buttons: a camera icon and a pencil icon. These buttons allow users to easily share images, videos, GIFs, and text as status updates. The new layout aims to enhance the user experience by maintaining a cleaner and more organized appearance. WhatsApp also rolls out Channel Alerts feature for beta testers, providing real-time updates on channel status and allowing administrators to initiate suspension reviews. https://ift.tt/04pCtBx

WhatsApp rolls out manage emoji replacement feature for Windows users

WhatsApp rolls out new features for its users. Windows desktop beta testers can now manage emoji replacement with the Windows 2.2350.3.0 update. Users can deactivate text-to-emoji replacement in the app settings. WhatsApp also introduces the Channels Alerts feature for Android beta testers. Administrators receive real-time information on channel suspension and can initiate a review of suspension. https://ift.tt/H5sEJCZ

Three Polish hackers say they fixed trains allegedly bricked by manufacturer Newag after an independent repair shop worked on them; Newag denies bricking them (Jason Koebler/404 Media)

Jason Koebler / 404 Media:
Three Polish hackers say they fixed trains allegedly bricked by manufacturer Newag after an independent repair shop worked on them; Newag denies bricking them  —  After breaking trains simply because an independent repair shop had worked on them, NEWAG is now demanding that trains fixed by hackers be removed from service.

Instagram users can now share videos as Notes: Here’s how to use the new feature

Instagram introduces an upgrade to its Notes feature, allowing users to share short videos in addition to text notes. The feature was previously limited to text notes but has now expanded to include short music and voice notes as well. https://ift.tt/BlTdg9N

Apple again blocks texts from the Android iMessages app

Apple blocked Beeper Mini, an 'iMessage for Android' app, after the developer reverse engineered iMessage to send messages from Android smartphones in blue bubbles. The app was shut down but some users still can't send messages. Beeper stated that Apple deliberately blocked iMessages from being delivered to around 5% of Beeper Mini users. Apple claimed that the app exploited fake credentials to access iMessage, causing users to be unable to send or receive texts. https://ift.tt/45gHIQL

An interview with USDS head Mina Hsiang, who previously worked for HealthCare.gov, on having more job applicants this year than in any prior year, AI, and more (Nilay Patel/The Verge)

Nilay Patel / The Verge:
An interview with USDS head Mina Hsiang, who previously worked for HealthCare.gov, on having more job applicants this year than in any prior year, AI, and more  —  Ten years after healthcare.gov, the fed's tech consultancy wants you to help with the next big thing.

Samsung Galaxy A25 5G, Galaxy A15 45 and Galaxy A15 5G smartphones launched: Specs and other details

Samsung expands Galaxy A-series with Galaxy A24 5G, A15 5G, and A15 4G in Vietnam. AMOLED displays, Android 14 OS. A24 5G: 6.5-inch FHD+ Super AMOLED, Exynos 1280, 8GB RAM, 128GB storage, 5000mAh battery, 50MP main camera, 13MP selfie camera. A15 5G, A15 4G: 6.5-inch Super AMOLED, MediaTek chipsets, 50MP main camera, 13MP selfie camera, 8GB RAM, 128GB/256GB storage, 5000mAh battery. A15 4G: from 4,990,000 VND. A15 5G: 6,290,000 VND. https://ift.tt/uFW3qav

Google, Meta, Qualcomm, and seven other tech companies form the Coalition for Open Digital Ecosystems, aiming to promote open digital ecosystems in the EU (Foo Yun Chee/Reuters)

Foo Yun Chee / Reuters:
Google, Meta, Qualcomm, and seven other tech companies form the Coalition for Open Digital Ecosystems, aiming to promote open digital ecosystems in the EU  —  Alphabet's (GOOGL.O) Google, Meta Platforms (META.O), Qualcomm (QCOM.O) and seven other tech companies on Wednesday teamed up to push …

Nokia 106 4G and Nokia 110 4G get new apps and software update support

HMD Global launches Nokia 106 4G and Nokia 110 4G feature phones in India. The phones now have YouTube Shorts and other Cloud Apps. Priced at Rs 2,199 and Rs 2,399 respectively. Cloud Apps offer personalized content, games, and more. Software updates coming soon. https://ift.tt/wvrYVQM