Apps
Target rolls out Bluetooth beacon technology in stores to power new indoor maps in its app
Target is adding an improved indoor mapping component to its mobile app, designed to help shoppers find their way through stores and locate the products they need, the retailer announced this morning, referring to the feature as a “GPS for your shopping cart.” Instead of simply showing a static …
TechnologyCastro’s Latest Update Transforms Podcast Organization
As my list of podcasts grows and my preferences change, I’m finding it tougher to organize my shows in an effective and intentional way. With Castro 2.5, though, something clicked. Through a combination of the inbox-queue methodology and drag and drop for my podcasts, I’ve been able to rethink how …
PodcastingWall Street dings Apple after some reported LTE connectivity issues on the new Watch
There are a lot of reports hitting the ‘net this morning in reviews of the Apple Watch Series 3, which indicate that there are some LTE connectivity issues — causing Apple to take a small dip this morning and a speed bump in its march to $1 trillion.<p>Shares of Apple fell around 2.5% this morning, …
Gear & GadgetsYou can now launch the Instagram app directly from Facebook
Facebook is making it easier for users to access their Instagram profile directly from within the Facebook app. The company confirms it’s rolling out a new addition its main navigation menu on mobile that includes a link to your Instagram account. This option appears just below the link to your …
TechnologyFacebook vows to manually review ad targeting after “Jew-Haters” scandal
Facebook failed to forsee how turning user-written interests and employer information from profiles into ad targeting options could turn offensive. Now Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg has apologized for the situation, and announced that Facebook will now manually review all ad targeting options. “We …
TechnologySnapchat’s new partners attach instant apps and games to ads
Snap wants its ads to open to something interesting rather than a boring mobile website. Today Snap announced 14 new ad Creative Partners that will help build custom games, interactive videos, gyroscope-powered epxeriences, lead generation campaigns, and pre-loaded Instant Apps as destinations for …
GamingHere are the best ARKit apps for iOS 11 you should try right now
1/6<p>World Brush<p>World Brush lets you draw 3D shapes and designs in the real world. It feels pretty similar to Google’s Tilt Brush VR app. The coolest part is that whatever you draw stays there forever (or until you delete it) so you could draw something in a public space and others can go and see it …
IOS 11Keybase Launches Teams, a Free End-to-End Encrypted Alternative to Slack
Encryption messaging company Keybase launched a Slack-like open source team communications tool on Monday for macOS and iOS platforms.<p>Called Keybase Teams, the fully encrypted platform supported groups as large as 500 people, with free access to a team's message history.<p>Keybase is a new and free …
EncryptionSubscription art crowdfunder Patreon confirms $60M fundraise
Patreon upgrades content creation from a passion to a profession by paying artists 95% of subscription payments from fans instead of 55% of skimpy ad revenue like Facebook and YouTube. Now Patreon itself is getting paid with today’s official announcement of the big series C funding round TechCrunch …
StartupsAdobe brings paid premium features for brands to its Spark design apps
Adobe is launching a major update to its Spark graphic design apps today that brings paid premium features for companies and individuals that want to bring their own logo to the service as they create social media posts with Spark Posts, web pages with Spark Page and video with — you guessed it — …
Google’s search app now makes suggestions of other things to read
Google’s search app for iOS is today introducing a feature that will keep users browsing the web, instead of exiting back to their homescreen to use other mobile application. The app is being updated to include a “related content” section that will appear at the bottom of the web pages you visit …
TechnologyFinnish marketing automation startup Smartly.io targets U.S. growth after $20M secondary funding
Smartly.io, a Helsinki-based company that makes automated marketing software for Facebook advertisers, announced today that it has raised $20 million by selling existing stakeholder’s shares to venture capital firm Highland Europe.<p>Founded in 2013, Smartly.io founder and CEO Kristo Ovaska says it …
StartupsHinge’s new app lets your friends play matchmaker
Hinge is launching a way for people in relationships to get in on the dating app craze alongside their single friends. No, not like that! The company today is introducing a new, standalone app called Hinge Matchmaker that will allow people to see which of their friends are on Hinge, and then make …
TechnologyPolly’s teen polling app piggybacks on Snapchat
Snapchat doesn’t technically have a developer platform, but that hasn’t stopped other startups from taking advantage of its new feature for attaching links to your Snaps and Stories. Sarahah was the first, allowing people to ask fellow Snappers for open-ended anonymous feedback. But the problem is …
TechnologyWaze and Spotify integration arrives on iOS
Google-owned navigation app Waze announced a partnership earlier this year with music streaming service Spotify to put Spotify playlists right within the Waze app, and now the team-up is extending to iOS. The new integration is rolling out today, and adds a number of direct Spotify features within …
TechnologyYuri Milner’s predictions for the consumer Internet in 20 years
Without even counting massive potential sea changes like artificial intelligence or “flying cars,” as DST founder Yuri Milner says, the consumer internet is still on track to grow in value by another ten times in the next 20 years — just like it did in the past ten years.<p>That’s Milner’s …
StartupsCitizen’s controversial crime tracker expands to SF, picks up $12 million from Sequoia
The app formerly known as Vigilante isn’t going away. Today at TechCrunch Disrupt SF, the crime tracker now known as Citizen announced that its parent company Sp0n has raised a $12 million Series A round led by Sequoia Capital. Paired with the funding news, Citizen, previously exclusive to New York …
App StoreThe best games to play while you wait for SteamWorld Dig 2
SteamWorld Dig 2 is out this week on PC and Switch, and people are understandably excited. This clever series by Image and Form combines our favorite …
Uber faces £2.9M fee to renew London license under new rules
London’s transport regulator, Transport for London, has released details of a new more expansive and expensive system of tiered license fees for private hire operators that will drive up the fees that ride-hailing companies like Uber need to pay to operate in the city.<p>Uber previously paid £2,826 …
UberYouTube’s Twitch-like ‘Sponsorships’ open to all YouTube Gaming creators, expand to YouTube’s main app
YouTube today is taking on Twitch with the launch of a new program that will allow gamers to make money from their channels through the use of sponsorships. Like Twitch’s subscriptions, which offer fans access to custom emotes, special badges and other perks, YouTube’s sponsorships also include a …
TechnologyDrag'n'Boom beginner's guide - how to earn mountains of gold
Have you ever wanted to burn and pillage a village as a bloodthirsty dragon? If you answered yes to that question, <i>Drag'n'Boom</i> offers you the perfect …
Snap blocks Al Jazeera in Saudi Arabia to “comply with local laws”
Snap has bowed to pressure from the government of Saudi Arabia to censor a news channel operated by the Qatar-based news broadcaster, Al Jazeera, from the Snapchat Discover section of its app. The development was reported earlier by the WSJ.<p>Al Jazeera launched a Snap Discover channel in English in …
Middle EastSee what Facebook ads you actually clicked in “Recent Ad Activity”
You might think you’re impervious to Facebook’s ads, but you probably do get seduced every once in a while. But since ads aren’t always permanently available anywhere, it can be impossible to find a Facebook ad that led somewhere you want to revisit. Now Facebook has a solution called Recent Ad …
TechnologyM8 wants your friends to be the matchmaker
Forget algorithms. M8 is a dating app that’s powered by human matchmakers. And these aren’t just any matchmakers, they’re your friends!<p>M8 is unveiling its concept for a different dating app at TechCrunch Disrupt’s Battlefield competition in San Francisco.<p>With M8, friends can look through dating …
StartupsIndex is a clean, colorful app for organizing your ideas and digital content
The makers of Index are hoping they’ve created the only app you’ll need to access all your files, notes and links.<p>“We’re giving people a full control panel for the digital world,” founder Brian Cox told me.<p>Cox said he actually developed Index for his own personal use five years ago. And while he …
StartupsThis app lets you put the iPhone X notch on any Android phone
While technophiles might have to wait a few more years (but not really) for most Android phone makers to gather the courage to put a notch at the top of the display – like Apple did with the iPhone X (pronounced ‘ten’) – there might be an app that will help you simulate this awkward-looking …
Android PhonesInstagram for iOS makes controversial change to how autoplay video/audio is handled
Instagram is making a small but notable change to how it handles autoplaying videos. While the app has always autoplayed videos as you scroll through your feed, sound would be muted until you tap on the video. Now, Instagram is slightly changing up how sound is handled with videos…<p>Now, if you tap …
Technology (India)Iron Marines
The closest thing you’re likely to get to a fully-realized <i>StarCraft</i> experience on iOS is just one of the apps we’ve highlighted for this week’s “Awesome Apps” roundup.<p>We’ve also got a nifty tool for adding icons to your Safari browser tabs, a way of sending Spotify songs using iMessage, and a fun …
iOSThe best simulation games on mobile
There's nothing like a good sim -- from the seemingly ridiculous to the incredibly mundane, you can be there's a simulation game out there for your …
MobilePark Rangr helps you avoid parking tickets and find your car with AR
If you own a car in a major city, chances are you’ve gotten a parking ticket. Parking signs can get confusing, Park Rangr does the hard work for you in interpreting the signage while also ensuring that you’re leaving your car in a good area where you can find it again.<p>The app was built in the …