Latest news with #Updates
The Verge
7 days ago
- Business
- The Verge
You can now read the US Coast Guard's report about the Titan submersible implosion.
Posted Aug 6, 2025 at 12:20 AM UTC Follow topics and authors from this story to see more like this in your personalized homepage feed and to receive email updates. Jay Peters Posts from this author will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed. See All by Jay Peters Posts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed. See All News Posts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed. See All Transportation
NDTV
04-07-2025
- NDTV
Android 16 Introduces Live Updates, Google's Answer To Apple's Live Activities
Google has officially begun rolling out Live Updates with the stable release of Android 16, offering a glimpse at its long-awaited answer to Apple's Live Activities. Live Updates are a new class of notifications designed to provide real-time updates for ongoing activities like food delivery, ride-hailing pickups, navigation, and timers. These notifications come with elevated permissions, enabling them to appear above standard alerts - including in the status bar and on the lock screen. However, the initial rollout of Android 16 only supports Live Updates in a limited capacity. Full system-level integration is expected later in 2025, ahead of support for Wear OS devices. In its current form, Android 16 allows apps to generate Live Updates using progress-style notifications, but the system doesn't treat them any differently from standard notifications. As a result, these alerts lack a fully expanded view that sets Live Updates apart. Notably, Google didn't provide a firm timeline for full Live Updates integration. The feature's absence in Android 16 QPR1 Beta 1 cast doubt on its rollout, but signs of progress emerged in QPR1 Beta 2 and 2.1. Android analyst Mishaal Rahman, writing for Android Authority, noted that Google is adjusting the underlying requirements for what qualifies as a Live Update - a move that may explain the staggered release. Full support is still in development, but Android users can expect the polished version of Live Updates to arrive in upcoming updates later this year.
Arabian Post
21-06-2025
- Business
- Arabian Post
WhatsApp charts ad and creator‑subscription course
WhatsApp is rolling out a trio of monetisation tools within its Updates tab, signalling a significant shift in strategy while keeping its core service intact. Businesses and creator‑led Channels can now access new advertising options, subscribers can unlock exclusive content, and adverts will begin appearing in status updates – all isolated from personal chats. Approximately 1.5 billion users engage with the Updates feed daily, where ephemeral Status posts and one‑way Channels feature prominently. Meta, the parent company, is instituting three monetisation pillars: paid subscriptions to Channels, promoted placement for selected Channels, and targeted ads in Status postings. Paid Channel subscriptions enable creators and organisations to offer exclusive content to subscribed users. Channel owners can set monthly fees, receiving payment directly; Meta has confirmed it will forgo revenue share this year. Users continue to access non‑premium Channels at no cost, preserving inclusivity. ADVERTISEMENT Promoted Channels afford businesses and creators the ability to gain visibility within the Channels directory. These paid promotions echo Facebook and Instagram's ad features, enabling targeted outreach to engaged audiences on WhatsApp. Advertising in Status posts marks WhatsApp's first foray into native ad content. Businesses will now have the opportunity to insert sponsored Status updates visible alongside friends and family updates, with direct messaging links for user engagement. Meta assures these monetisation measures will not breach WhatsApp's end‑to‑end encryption on personal chats, calls, and Status. The Updates feed is portrayed as a separate, user‑opt‑in zone that won't affect the private messaging interface. Ad targeting will be based on broad demographic signals—such as language, city, activity within Updates, and cross‑app preferences if linked via Meta's Accounts Center—excluding personal message content. Meta highlights ongoing user trust as a cornerstone, emphasising that phone numbers will not be shared with advertisers and ad delivery does not draw from personal or group conversations. This assurance follows backlash in 2021 concerning alleged T&Cs changes, underscoring the fragility of confidence in WhatsApp's promises. Meta's move is clearly motivated by financial incentives. With ad revenue soaring—for instance, Meta reported US $160.6 billion in ad income in 2024—and WhatsApp yet to be fully monetised, the company plans to leverage its massive user base without compromising privacy guarantees. This transformation mirrors WhatsApp's evolution in Asia, where apps like WeChat serve as multifunctional ecosystems encompassing commerce, messaging, and media. Meta's vision is to expand WhatsApp's utility by integrating business and creator economy tools in non‑intrusive areas. Despite assurances, the roll‑out has sparked debate over potential shifts in user experience. Some long‑time users perceive this as a betrayal by an app founded on a minimalist, privacy‑first ethos – 'No ads! No games! No gimmicks!' as WhatsApp's founders once promised. Timid but discernible resistance emerged on social media platforms like Reddit, with a fraction of users threatening migration to platforms like Signal or Telegram. Meta is mitigating these concerns through phased deployment, global scheduling over coming months, and strict differentiation between private and monetised environments. Advertisers and business leaders, however, are optimistic: the Updates tab presents a potent venue for visibility, especially for small businesses traditionally underrepresented in mainstream ad environments. WhatsApp's approach marks its boldest commercial pivot yet, with strategic calculus focused on preserving encryption while introducing revenue‑generating mechanisms. The company's ability to maintain trust, eye potential regulatory scrutiny, and adapt to user response will determine whether this evolution strengthens WhatsApp's role as both a private messaging app and a platform for business and entertainment.
Yahoo
18-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Meta seen generating at least $3 billion a year from new WhatsApp's Updates ads
-- Meta Platforms' latest move to monetize WhatsApp could add billions to its revenue over time, according to a new note from Morgan Stanley. The company recently announced it will begin rolling out ads in the app's Updates tab, with analysts seeing a clear path to generating $3 billion to $5 billion annually from the initiative, potentially rising to over $6 billion in a bull case. Meta (NASDAQ:META) will introduce "Status ads" within the Updates section of WhatsApp, which is used by roughly 1.5 billion users each day. Morgan Stanley explained that the ads will not appear in private messages or calls, and will rely on the Updates tab's Status feature, which is conceptually similar to Instagram Stories. Meta is also said to be planning to add monetization tools in WhatsApp Channels, including Promoted Channels and Channel Subscriptions. 'While 1.5bn users is significant, it's important to remember that most (~95%) of WhatsApp users are outside of the U.S.,' Morgan Stanley wrote, noting that international monetization is typically lower. Still, the analysts believe Meta's ad infrastructure and user scale could support 'a ~$3bn–$5bn business.' Their base scenarios assume Updates represents a high single-digit percentage of WhatsApp usage, or around 2–4 minutes of user time daily, monetized at levels near Pinterest's international rates. The bull case envisions 12% of user time in Updates and monetization at Facebook's rates, supporting 'a path to $6bn+ of annual revenue,' which would add about 3% upside to Morgan Stanley's current Meta revenue model. 'This is a helpful multi-year framework,' the analysts said, emphasizing Meta's ability to convert platform scale and ad tech into durable free cash flow growth. Related articles Meta seen generating at least $3 billion a year from new WhatsApp's Updates ads Cantor bullish on analog stocks near-term, but challenges remain through year-end Beyond Oil product could lower cancer risk from fried foods, medical opinion finds Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
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Business Standard
16-06-2025
- Business
- Business Standard
With ads and paid subscriptions, is WhatsApp Meta's next big bet?
After the success of bringing businesses to WhatsApp, Meta — its parent — is now introducing ads and subscriptions to Status and Channels under the Updates tab of the messaging app, the company said on Monday. This move will further push its monetisation efforts on WhatsApp. The Updates tab is now used by 1.5 billion users every day. Users who follow certain Channels will be able to receive exclusive updates for a monthly fee. The Status tab will also begin featuring advertisements from businesses, enabling easier connection with users. This is the first time that businesses will be able to run advertisements directly on WhatsApp. Previously, there were only two ways to target users via WhatsApp: first, through paid messaging used by large businesses to send updates, and second, via ads on Facebook and Instagram that click through to open a WhatsApp chat. In a select media briefing, the company stated that for users who only use WhatsApp to chat with friends and family, there will be no change. To show ads in Status and Channels, the platform will share minimal information such as the user's country or city, language, and the Channels they follow. Alice Newton-Rex, Vice-President, Product at WhatsApp, said the platform will never share or sell users' phone numbers to advertisers. Personal messages, calls and group conversations will continue to be encrypted. 'We are increasingly seeing and hearing people wanting to use WhatsApp for more than just messaging close friends and family. That's part of the reason we introduced the 'Updates' tab as a place for optional experiences on WhatsApp like Channels and Status. Almost 1.5 billion people globally use Updates daily. It's often where people go when they are looking to discover something new,' said Newton-Rex. The new features will roll out gradually over the next few months. The timing of this launch is significant, as WhatsApp has seen its two existing advertisement models scale well — both paid messaging and click-to-WhatsApp ads are now billion-dollar businesses. This is especially relevant for a market like India, where WhatsApp has over 500 million users, and revenue from WhatsApp Business doubled in 2024. Sandhya Devanathan, Head of Meta India and South East Asia, previously told Business Standard that business momentum for WhatsApp in India is 'outpacing' several other countries. An important aspect of the rollout is the focus on preserving individual privacy. At a time when regulators worldwide are scrutinising big tech's use of personal data, WhatsApp maintains that it will share only minimal information with advertisers and that messages will remain encrypted. In response to a question about rising scams and frauds, and how ads on Updates would be safeguarded, Newton-Rex said all ads in Status would need to comply with Meta's advertising standards. 'We review every advertisement against our policies, and in addition, users can report or block businesses on WhatsApp or report individual ads,' she said.
