Read article

Consumer Tech

Aug 17, 2026

Guardian Labs Wants to Kill Phone Scams Before They Ring

Portuguese founder Rita Barbosa built Guardião after a phone scam cost her grandmother €4,000 and stripped away her confidence using technology. The app runs AI models locally on-device to intercept fraudulent calls and messages before they ever reach the user — a technical approach that was only recently possible, and one with implications well beyond Portugal.

Fraud

Mobile

Jul 31, 2026

Tim Cook Hints at Paid AI Tiers Coming to iCloud Plus

Apple CEO Tim Cook confirmed the company is exploring paid upgrade tiers within iCloud Plus to accommodate heavy Apple Intelligence users. The comments came during an earnings call, signaling Apple's intent to monetize AI usage as the long-delayed Siri overhaul prepares for a fall launch with iOS 27.

Apple

Product Strategy

Jul 30, 2026

OpenAI's 'Family of Devices' Remains a Mystery

OpenAI president Greg Brockman confirmed the company is developing multiple hardware products for its AI models, but declined to reveal form factors, release dates, or how Apple's lawsuit might affect its Jony Ive collaboration.

OpenAI

Hardware

Jul 30, 2026

Martha Stewart Co-Founds Hint, an AI Assistant

Hint is a new AI startup co-founded by Martha Stewart that aims to centralize home management — from property records to maintenance schedules — into a single AI-powered app. The company is positioning itself as an 'AI for your home,' targeting the largely untapped residential property management market.

Startups

Consumer Tech

Jul 29, 2026

New York's SAFE for Kids Act Adds Age Verification

New York's Attorney General has finalized rules implementing the SAFE for Kids Act, requiring social media platforms to verify users' ages before granting access to algorithmic feeds and late-night notifications. The rules set concrete compliance standards for platforms like Instagram and TikTok, with enforcement beginning later this year. Here's what the law actually requires — and what it means for the broader tech industry.

Policy

Social Media

Jul 29, 2026

Granola Brings AI Meeting Notes to Your Apple Watch

Granola, the AI-powered meeting notes app, has launched an Apple Watch companion app designed for in-person meetings where pulling out a laptop feels awkward. The wrist-based interface lets users capture and review notes without breaking the flow of face-to-face conversation.

Productivity

Startups

Jul 27, 2026

Meta's Smart Glasses Have a Growing Privacy Problem

Activist groups are plastering satirical anti-surveillance posters over Meta's smart glasses ads in major cities. The backlash highlights a genuine privacy gap — and Meta's half-measures aren't helping.

Wearables

Privacy

Jul 23, 2026

Yope Raises $12.3M for an Algorithm-Free Network

Yope has closed a $12.3M seed round to build a social app centered on small, private groups rather than algorithmic feeds and creator content. The startup is betting that the next wave of social networking looks more like intimate messaging than broadcast media — and it's using AI to reinforce real-world relationships.

Startups

Social Media

Jul 15, 2026

OpenAI's First Hardware Is a Screenless, Moving Speaker

OpenAI's long-anticipated debut hardware product is reportedly a screenless smart speaker with physical movement capabilities. The device signals the company's push into ambient AI hardware — and raises big questions about where the AI assistant market is heading.

Hardware

OpenAI

Jul 15, 2026

Hinge's Founder Raises $18M for AI Dating App Overtone

Justin McLeod, the founder of Hinge, has secured $18 million to launch Overtone, a new AI dating service built around voice and audio. The app promises highly curated introductions rather than the swipe-heavy mechanics that define most modern dating platforms. It's a bet that AI can do something current apps have largely failed at: meaningful matchmaking.

Startups

Consumer Tech

Jul 14, 2026

Spotify Launches 'Talk to Spotify' AI Chatbot

Spotify is rolling out a conversational AI feature that lets Premium subscribers control playback and discover content through a chat interface. The 'Talk to Spotify' chatbot taps into your personal listening history and playlists — going further than similar moves by Amazon Music.

Product

Streaming

Jul 13, 2026

TV Time Is Dead — Its Founder Is Building the Replacement

TV Time, one of the most popular TV-tracking apps, is shutting down. Its founder isn't walking away — he's building Bingers, a new app designed to preserve the community and watch histories that made TV Time a cult favorite.

apps

Community

Consumer Tech

Jul 6, 2026

Google Trains Its AI on Your Data — Here's the Opt-Out

A quiet update to Google's privacy settings now allows the company to use more of your personal data to train its AI models. If you haven't reviewed your settings recently, you're likely opted in by default. Here's what changed and how to take back control.

Google

Privacy

AI Training

Jul 2, 2026

TV Time Shuts Down as Whip Media Bets on Enterprise AI

TV Time, the beloved TV-tracking app with millions of users, will go dark on July 15 as parent company Whip Media shifts its focus to enterprise AI. The pivot marks the end of a consumer product that helped viewers log, rate, and discover shows for over a decade.

app shutdown

Consumer Tech

Enterprise AI

Jul 1, 2026

SpaceX's Mystery AI Device Hints at Consumer Hardware

SpaceX reportedly demoed a 'handset-like' AI device to investors ahead of its IPO — a move that signals the company may be eyeing a serious push into consumer wireless hardware. Here's what we know so far.

AI hardware

Consumer Tech

Elon Musk