Social Media

Meta has launched new AI-powered anti-scam tools for WhatsApp, Facebook, and Messenger, including device-linking warnings and suspicious friend request alerts.

According to a recent report, WhatsApp might be gearing up to introduce a paid tier for its wildly popular messaging platform. Paying customers will be able to customize their app experience, gain access to exclusive stickers, and unlock new immersive reactions.

Meta is reportedly testing an AI shopping tool inside Meta AI for some U.S. desktop web users, surfacing product carousels with prices and links to merchants.

Casio has launched Casio Watch Park, a new fan community platform, alongside a limited campaign featuring exclusive, not-for-sale DW-5600 and engraved AQ-230 watches available only through a prize draw.

Amazon has unveiled the first look at Kratos and Atreus from its upcoming God of War series. However, the reveal has done little to ease concerns within an already skeptical fanbase or generate meaningful excitement around the project.

Burger King is testing an AI assistant integrated into employees’ headsets – a system designed not only to streamline operations but also to assess how friendly staff are during customer interactions. The trial has sparked strong criticism on Reddit, where many users describe the technology as AI-driven surveillance.

After releasing an Instagram app on Fire TV devices in December 2025, Meta has brought the app to Google TV devices. However, availability is still limited to the United States, as the product is under testing.

The upcoming Pokémon Day celebrates the brand’s 30th anniversary with special in-store events around the world. Alongside various other giveaways, fans will also have the opportunity to receive an exclusive Bulbasaur promo card.

To mark its 30th anniversary, Pokémon is releasing a unique logo for each of its 1,025 pocket monsters, and fans can claim one on X. The campaign serves as a lead-up to Pokémon Day on February 28, when the 10th generation is widely expected to be unveiled alongside additional announcements.

YouTube is adding background playback and offline downloads to its $7.99-per-month Premium Lite plan, features that were previously exclusive to the full Premium tier. The update makes the lower-cost subscription more practical for everyday use, especially for multitasking and offline viewing. However, Premium Lite will still include limited ads on certain content.

Discord says its UK Persona age-verification test has ended, and its support docs explain how “age assurance” will work as teen-by-default settings roll out.

After the unexpected leadership shake-up at Xbox, an alleged insider leak is adding to the uncertainty. While new chief Asha Sharma has promised a renewed focus on creativity and hardware following the departures of Phil Spencer and Sarah Bond, the source warns of large-scale layoffs and a bleak future for the Xbox console.

Shortly after taking on her new role as head of Microsoft’s Xbox gaming division, Asha Sharma revealed what was described as her Xbox gamertag. The account quickly came under scrutiny, with many fans questioning its authenticity.

According to a reliable source, WhatsApp is developing a feature which will finally allow users to schedule messages to be sent at a later date and time, without having to resort to non-native workarounds.

US President Donald Trump has announced plans to release government files related to UFOs, UAPs, and potential extraterrestrial life. The move is intended to address sustained public interest in decades-long investigations conducted by the US Department of Defense.

With Lyria 3, Google is integrating a music generation tool into the Gemini app for the first time. Users can create 30-second songs complete with automatically generated lyrics, sung vocals, and cover artwork simply by entering a text prompt or uploading an image. The feature is currently available in the Gemini beta.

More than 20 years after its final update, Unreal Tournament 2004 has made an unexpected return. With official approval from Epic Games, the community developers at OldUnreal have released a major patch for the classic arena shooter, making the game available for free.

Meta has obtained a patent for an AI system designed to automatically continue the social media accounts of deceased or long-term inactive users. While the technology may appear practical for influencers, it has triggered significant backlash on Reddit – particularly in cases involving accounts of people who have passed away.

A broken motherboard with bent pins being sold on eBay is nothing out of the ordinary. What is extraordinary, however, is the same motherboard being packed to the gills with high-capacity SSDs which the seller was blissfully unaware of.

An international team of researchers has issued a warning on the dangers of AI swarms with regard to the manufacturing of fake public consensus, noting that it might have already been happening.

Anthropic’s Head of AI Security, Mrinank Sharma, has stepped down with immediate effect. He cited ethical concerns as the reason for his departure – raising urgent warnings that extend beyond the field of artificial intelligence.

The Pokémon Company has unveiled a new collector’s item designed to excite fans – an animatronic Pikachu described as the most lifelike version of the iconic Electric-type mascot to date.

YouTube Music appears to be restricting full-lyrics access for some free users, with multiple reports showing a “Unlock lyrics with Premium” prompt after a limited number of lyric views.

Yet another customer appears to have lucked out at Walmart's clearance section, shelling out just $210 for four SSDs with a total capacity of 7 TB. If purchased from online vendors at current prices, this bargain haul would have cost well over $1,200.

New set photos from Amazon Prime Video’s upcoming Tomb Raider series provide the clearest look yet at Sophie Turner as Lara Croft and have reignited debate among fans. While some praise the grounded costume design and extensive on-location shooting, others remain unconvinced that Turner is the right fit for the iconic role.

Following OpenAI’s announcement to introduce ads in ChatGPT, Anthropic is positioning itself as a clear alternative with a satirical ad campaign. In four short videos, the company pokes fun at AI conversations interrupted by advertisements, while promising to keep its assistant, Claude, ad-free in the long term.

A newly discovered strategy is shaking up the GTA: San Andreas speedrunning scene. Until now, runs were believed to require a full playthrough, but the new method allows players to complete the game in under an hour – at nearly double the previous speed. Step-by-step instructions are available on Reddit.

Moltbook, a Reddit-style forum for AI agents, is going viral as researchers report exposed emails, DMs, and agent tokens... raising authenticity concerns.

YouTube is cracking down on browser workarounds that previously enabled background playback. Users who want to listen to music or podcasts with their screen locked will soon need a YouTube Premium subscription.

The launch of TikTok's new US joint venture is proving bumpy, with the first week marked by a massive increase in uninstalls and technical failures. Although the company insists that it will not censor topics such as Epstein or ICE, users remain skeptical.

A recently filed lawsuit claims that WhatsApp's end-to-end encryption is practically useless, since Meta engineers can allegedly gain access to customer data with a single request which is approved more often than not.

With WoW’s new housing system now available to everyone who pre-ordered the Midnight expansion, players are already showcasing their creativity. One standout example is a highly detailed replica of Asmongold’s streaming room, which the streamer himself praised as "amazing."

With the Headwinds update, Embark expands its extraction shooter ARC Raiders with new quests, augments and additional gameplay content. However, the introduction of a new ban system has sparked criticism among players.

The Doombuds project brings the iconic 90s shooter to in-ear headphones for the first time. It uses PineBuds Pro, which run open firmware and rely on their ARM Cortex M4F processor to run Doom.

The transfer of TikTok's US business to the new joint venture TikTok USDS has begun amidst algorithm restarts, technical glitches and debates over privacy. The first weekend under new management was bumpy.

The European Space Agency is providing more than just propulsion for the upcoming lunar mission; it is also sharing spectacular imagery of the rollout. A new ESA time-lapse follows the rocket’s path to the launchpad, underscoring the close cooperation with NASA.

A test by The Guardian indicates that ChatGPT is increasingly using Elon Musk’s Grokipedia as a source. Using the AI-generated website as a source for other AIs could lead to a "garbage in, garbage out" scenario in which unfiltered information is spread.

While an AMD RX 5700 XT from 2019 may be a tough sell in 2026, a lucky gamer appears to have bagged the GPU for just under $5 from a thrift store. With the aid of some thermal pads and a bunch of screws, the card fired up without any issues.

Rising RAM prices are often cited as the primary reason behind increasingly expensive graphics cards, but YouTuber der8auer argues that Nvidia’s pricing strategy may be just as significant. In a recent video, he describes what he calls an “MSRP lie.”

Artificial intelligence is increasingly eclipsing traditional search engines. A recent survey reveals that many subscribers are already using ChatGPT as their default browser homepage. This prioritization is so significant that users would be more likely to forgo video streaming than give up their AI chatbot.

Standard enemies in Arc Raiders no longer pose much of a challenge for many players. In a recent interview, Embark hinted at plans to introduce not only new types of regular Arcs but also significantly larger and more formidable foes.

What might be the world's most popular forum appears to have rather hostile policies towards new users, with support basically unreachable and rules on what exactly newly created accounts can or can't do unclear at best.

An international community project has nearly completed a 1:1 recreation of New York City in Minecraft. The impressively detailed build is gaining traction on YouTube and Reddit, and players can explore it for themselves.

Bethesda and Prime Video have opened a casting call for a reality show set in the Fallout universe, available to nearly everyone. Whether fans are actually interested, however, is another question. The announcement has drawn sharp criticism from large parts of the community.

Prime Video has released a first look at its upcoming Tomb Raider series, revealing Sophie Turner in the role of Lara Croft. The image has sparked mixed reactions across the fan community.

Michał Kiciński, the new owner of GOG, has expressed surprise that Windows has remained the dominant platform for so long. As user frustration continues to grow, Linux is attracting increasing attention within the company. All signs point to improved Linux support in 2026 – a step many users have been calling for over the past several years.

The app Sileme – which translates to “Are you dead?” – may sound morbid at first, but it serves a clear and practical purpose. Designed for people who live alone, it allows users to send a daily sign of life with a single tap. This simple concept has turned the app into an unexpected iOS hit in China.

Switch users are about to lose a convenient way to keep up to date on their favorite TV shows. Still, the Switch 2 never had the Hulu app and lacks any similar option. YouTube may come to the handheld soon, but some gamers see the lack of streaming support as a missed opportunity.

Malwarebytes has confirmed a massive data leak exposing personal information from 17.5 million Instagram accounts. The leaked data could be used for phishing and account takeovers, and users are urged to enable 2FA and stay alert for fake Meta messages.