The Latest from Sarah Perez
Starbucks to unveil its web3-based rewards program next month
Starbucks will unveil its web3 initiative, which includes coffee-themed NFTs, at next month’s Investor Day event. The company earlier this year announced its plans to enter the web3 space, notin
Twitter to revamp Spaces, tests themed stations and a daily digest
Twitter is developing an updated version of its audio chat rooms product known as Spaces, TechCrunch learned and Twitter confirmed. The company said it’s currently working a new experiment for t
Mobile users are now spending 4-5 hours per day in apps
Although the mobile app boom driven by pandemic lockdowns has long since passed, consumers’ mobile usage is still growing. According to new data released today by app intelligence firm data.ai (
Tinder to kill virtual currency, metaverse plans amid Match Group earnings loss; Tinder loses its CEO
Dating giant Match Group announced a series of changes to Tinder’s management team alongside the announcement of disappointing second-quarter earnings on Tuesday. Notably, Tinder CEO Renate Nybo
TikTok to overtake Facebook in influencer marketing spend this year, YouTube by 2024
Instagram may be worried about TikTok’s threat to its business, but in the near-term, it’s still far ahead when it comes to the influencer marketing dollars spent on its platform in the U.
French iOS developers file antitrust suit over Apple’s App Store fees
Apple is facing yet another antitrust lawsuit over its App Store fees, this time filed by a group of French iOS app developers who are suing the tech giant in its home state of California. The plainti
Pinterest popped 20% on earnings that weren’t as terrible as expected
If Pinterest is a bellwether of consumer spending, things are not looking up just yet. Still, investors in the social network rallied as Q2 revenue came in roughly in line with expectations and user d
Spotify wants users to pay for separate ‘Play’ and ‘Shuffle’ buttons
Spotify is updating its app to address a long-standing user complaint with music playback — but it’s asking customers to pay for the fix. The company announced today it will introduce, at
Pinterest debuts a new app, Shuffles, for collage-making and moodboards
Pinterest may be best known for shopping inspiration and design ideas, but the company’s newest product wants to inspire its users to tap into their own creativity. The company has quietly launc
This Week in Apps: Instagram backlash, TikTok gaming, Snapchat+ makes millions
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. Global app spending reached $65 billion in th
YouTube’s new tool lets creators turn their own videos into Shorts
YouTube wants to quickly ramp up the number of short-form “Shorts” videos available on its platform in order to better compete with TikTok. To aid with this effort, the company is today ro
Social subscription Snapchat+ is already faring better than Twitter Blue
Snapchat’s recent move into premium subscriptions has gained a bit of traction in its first weeks on the market. Though the social app maker just last week reported a disappointing second quarte
TikTok begins pilot testing HTML5 mini-games with a handful of partners
TikTok wants to determine its users’ appetite for mobile gaming with the launch of “mini-games” that can be played inside the social video app and discovered through creators’
This Week in Apps: Elon wants out, TikTok’s content ratings, a new milestone for subscription revenue
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. Global app spending reached $65 billion in th
Not gonna lie, this NGL lawsuit is kinda juicy
The anonymous Q&A app NGL climbed to the top of the App Store by tricking its users with questions it claims are sent in by their friends and by charging for useless hints about who supposedly wro
US App Store revenue from non-game apps just topped games for the first time
A major shift in the U.S. app economy has just taken place. In the second quarter of this year, U.S. consumer spending in non-game mobile apps surpassed spending in mobile games for the first time in
Kids and teens now spend more time watching TikTok than YouTube, new data shows
Kids and teens are now spending more time watching videos on TikTok than on YouTube. In fact, that’s been the case since June 2020 — the month when TikTok began to outrank YouTube in terms of
TikTok to roll out content filters and maturity ratings in pledge to make app safer
Earlier this year, TikTok said it was developing a new system that would restrict certain types of mature content from being viewed by teen users. Today, the company is introducing the first version o
Google exec suggests Instagram and TikTok are eating into Google’s core products, Search and Maps
The TikTok threat to Google’s business isn’t just limited to YouTube, as it turns out. Core Google services, including Search and Maps, are also being impacted by a growing preference for
YouTube TV now has topped 5 million subscribers and ‘trialers,’ says Google
YouTube’s Chief Product Officer Neal Mohan confirmed today a new milestone for YouTube’s live TV streaming service, YouTube TV. Speaking on a panel at Fortune’s Brainstorm Tech confe