Snapchat to introduce family safety tools to protect minors using its app

Following moves by major tech platforms to better protect minors using their platforms, Snapchat is preparing to introduce its own set of “family engagement” tools in the coming months. Snap CEO Evan Spiegel teased the planned offering during an interview at the WSJ Tech Live conference this week, where he explained that the new product […]

Announcing the startups exhibiting at TC Sessions: SaaS 2021

You have less than a week to go before you dive headlong into TC Sessions: SaaS 2021. Expect a full day packed with presentations, panel discussions breakout sessions, Q&As, networking … and demos. Who doesn’t love demos? They’re the heart and soul of every TechCrunch event, and you can bet your last bitcoin we’ll have […]

Facebook to penalize rule-breaking Groups’ members by demoting them in News Feed

Facebook has been steadily rolling out updates to Facebook Groups aimed at giving admins better ways to manage and moderate their online communities. Recently, this has included a combination of product releases — like access to automated moderation aids and alerts about heated debates — as well as new policies aimed at keeping Groups in […]

Former head of Facebook app Fidji Simo defends company following whistleblower testimony

The former head of the Facebook app, who reported directly to CEO Mark Zuckerberg, Fidji Simo, defended the social network at the start of an interview at the WSJ Tech Live event this afternoon. The exec was there to discuss her new role as Instacart CEO and her vision for the future of food delivery, […]

Google makes calling businesses less painful with features for seeing wait times, phone tree options and more

Alongside today’s release of the new Pixel 6 smartphones, Google has again upgraded one of the device’s most basic — but often overlooked — functions: the ability to make phone calls. In previous years, Google Assistant learned to screen your calls and make your reservations by phone via a technology called Duplex. Last year, it […]

Even more reasons you need to be at TC Sessions: SaaS 2021

We’re less than two weeks out from TC Sessions: SaaS 2021, a day-long exploration of software as a service. If you want to thrive in this tough, competitive market, join your colleagues and tap into current thinking and future trends. Come to hear, meet and engage with the industry’s brightest minds, makers and investors. Expand […]

A massive ‘stalkerware’ leak puts the phone data of thousands at risk

The private phone data of hundreds of thousands of people are at risk. Call records, text messages, photos, browsing history, precise geolocations and call recordings can all be pulled from a person’s phone because of a security issue in widely used consumer-grade spyware. But that’s about as much as we can tell you. TechCrunch repeatedly […]

Google introduces Pixel Pass, an all-in-one subscription combining phones and premium services

Alongside the launch of the new Google Pixel 6 smartphones, the company also introduced a new way to purchase them: Pixel Pass. This all-in-one subscription service allows consumers to purchase a Pixel phone for a low monthly price, rather than paying for it all upfront. The service is available $45 per month for the Pixel […]

With Tensor, Google bets on its own chip design for the Pixel 6

I’m not sure there’s ever been a phone we knew more about before its official launch than Google’s Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro. But in a world of samey Android phones, Google made some interesting choices, especially with regards to the chips that power it all. For the first time, Google now offers a […]

YouTube plans week-long live shopping event, following tests of livestream shopping with creators

YouTube announced earlier this year it would begin pilot testing livestream shopping with a handful of select creators. Now, the company is ready for a larger test of its live shopping platform with plans to host a week-long live shopping event, “YouTube Holiday Stream and Shop,” starting on November 15. The event will allow viewers […]