YouTube has announced significant updates to its Partner Program (YPP) monetisation policies, set to take effect on July 15, 2025. The changes specifically target mass-produced and repetitive content - a move many believe aims to curb the growing problem of 'AI slop' flooding the platform.

Elon Musk's artificial intelligence company xAI has recently introduced its newest AI model, Grok 4, alongside a premium $300-per-month 'SuperGrok Heavy' subscription plan.

Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey has recently introduced Bitchat, a new peer-to-peer messaging app that operates entirely over Bluetooth, requiring no internet connection, phone numbers, or centralised servers. The experimental app, now in beta via Apple’s TestFlight, enables encrypted, ephemeral chats between nearby devices, even during internet blackouts or censorship attempts.

US President Donald Trump in a Fox News interview on Sunday said that a deal to buy the popular short-video app TikTok is underway and involves “very wealthy people”, whose identities he plans to reveal in about two weeks.

Meta Platforms' WhatsApp messaging service has been banned from all US House of Representatives devices, according to a memo sent to all House staff on Monday.

Meta has announced it will begin showing advertisements in WhatsApp's Status feature, marking a significant shift for the messaging platform that has remained largely ad-free since its acquisition by Facebook in 2014. 

X has begun rolling out a beta version of XChat, a redesigned messaging system for its paid subscribers, according to a recent post by X owner Elon Musk. The new feature includes end-to-end encryption, file sharing, and audio-video calling capabilities without requiring phone numbers, as per official statements.

WhatsApp has announced a series of updates to its Status feature on May 29, bringing it closer in style and function to Facebook Stories.

Chinese AI startup DeepSeek has released an update to its R1 reasoning model. The new version, named R1-0528, was published on developer platform Hugging Face on May 29, although the company has not yet issued an official announcement.

Vietnam’s Ministry of Information and Communications has instructed domestic telecommunication service providers to block access to the messaging platform Telegram, citing the app’s alleged failure to cooperate with authorities in addressing criminal activities, according to a recent report by Reuters. 

YouTube has announced on 14 May that it will begin using Google's Gemini artificial intelligence (AI) model to identify the most engaging segments of videos for advertising placements. 

TikTok has announced that the company is testing a new feature that uses artificial intelligence (AI) to generate image descriptions, in an effort to make the platform more accessible for users with visual impairments. 

Meta executives, including CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Instagram head Adam Mosseri, openly acknowledged TikTok's dominance over Facebook and Instagram in key areas of social media engagement, during discussions dated February 2022, filed as part of the US Federal Trade Commission's (FTC) antitrust lawsuit against Meta, according to a recent report by TechCrunch.

Today, Skype, the app that once connected me to so many important moments, is officially gone. It’s a strange feeling. Sure, I have switched to Messenger for chats and Zoom for meetings like everyone else. But I can’t help but feel a little sad. Few things else carry the same level of nostalgia as that familiar blue icon.

Skype, once the undisputed pioneer of internet-based video calls, has officially been shut down by Microsoft as of 5 May 2025, marking the end of a two-decade era in digital communication.

Duolingo, the language learning app, will phase out contractor roles for tasks that artificial intelligence can handle, according to a recent internal email from cofounder and CEO Luis von Ahn announcing the company's shift to an "AI-first" approach. The message, posted on Duolingo's official LinkedIn account, outlines plans to restructure operations around AI capabilities.

OpenAI has updated ChatGPT's search function to display product suggestions when users make shopping-related queries. According to an official blog post by the company, this feature will provide item recommendations with specifications and purchase links in response to queries that implies shopping intent.

WhatsApp has announced that it is introducing a new in-app translation feature that enables users to translate messages and channel updates directly within the app, using entirely on-device processing to maintain privacy and preserve end-to-end encryption. 

Android is rolling out a new optional security feature that automatically reboots devices if they remain locked for three consecutive days, according to a report by 9to5Google. The update, delivered via the upcoming Google Play services version 25.14, aims to enhance security by forcing devices into a 'Before First Unlock (BFU)' state, requiring a PIN or pattern instead of biometrics to regain access.

ChatGPT-maker OpenAI is developing its own social media platform, according to sources familiar with internal discussions reported by The Verge. While still in the early prototyping stages, the experimental project reportedly features a social feed integrated with ChatGPT's image generation capabilities—potentially positioning OpenAI against rivals like Elon Musk's X and Meta.