Author Archives: Matt Tate

Snap is laying off 16 percent of its workforce, blames AI

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Snap is laying off around 1,000 staff, amounting to 16 percent of its workforce, which it will seemingly replace with AI. The cuts were announced in a company-wide memo from CEO Evan Spiegel, who added that more than 300 open roles are also being closed.

Spiegel said the "incredibly difficult" decision would likely save Snap more than $500 million by the second half of 2026, in turn helping it to "establish a clearer path to net-income profitability." Impacted staff were notified by email and the company’s North America-based team were instructed to work from home. Snap said it would provide four-month severance packages to those affected by the layoffs, as well as healthcare and other entitlements.

"While these changes are necessary to realize Snap’s long-term potential, we believe that rapid advancements in artificial intelligence enable our teams to reduce repetitive work, increase velocity, and better support our community, partners, and advertisers," Spiegel wrote. "We have already witnessed small squads leveraging AI tools to drive meaningful progress across several important initiatives, including Snapchat+, enhanced ad platform performance, and efficiency improvements in our Snap Lite infrastructure."

Snap laid off around 20 percent of its employees in 2022, with further cuts made in 2023 and 2024. It follows in the footsteps of a number of tech companies laying off employees in favor of AI in a move to boost efficiency, including Amazon, Fiverr, Microsoft and Pinterest in the last year. Snap is expected to launch the consumer version of its Specs AR glasses later this year, and recently span off the brand into its own business.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/snap-is-laying-off-16-percent-of-its-workforce-blames-ai-162456069.html?src=rss

Spotify is selling books now

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A collaboration between Spotify and Bookshop.org that allows readers to purchase physical books in the Spotify app is now live in the US and UK.

Rather than positioning audiobooks as the hard copy-killer, Spotify is encouraging you to see them as complimentary to one another. First announced back in February, the new partnership with Bookshop.org appears to be an acknowledgement from Spotify that physical still reigns supreme in the book world. Bookshop is a digital marketplace that enables indie booksellers to take their businesses online, and Spotify says any purchase made through its app will "directly support those bookshops and the authors who brought the story to life."

When viewing an audiobook on Spotify, where available you should now see a "Get a copy for your bookshelf" link that redirects you to the Bookshop.org website, which takes over the rest of the purchase and shipping process, reports TechCrunch. The feature is now live on Android, with iOS support arriving next week.

Key to this partnership is the new Page Match feature that Spotify launched in February, which allows readers to sync their progress between audiobooks and physical or ebooks so they can jump between formats seamlessly. When reading a paperback, you can use your phone camera to scan the page you reach and continue from that point in the audiobook. It also allows you to scan ereader pages so you can pick up when you left off in the audiobook, and vice versa.

Spotify has today expanded Page Match to support more than 30 new languages, including French, German and Swedish, while Audiobook Recaps are now available on Android. Introduced last year, initially for iOS users, these AI-powered audio summaries refresh you on your progress before you start reading, becoming available once you pass the 10-minute threshold in a book.

Spotify launched audiobooks in 2022 and now offers 15 hours of free listening time a month to Premium subscribers.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/spotify-is-selling-books-now-144340074.html?src=rss

Google adds E2E encryption to Gmail for iOS and Android enterprise users

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Google has announced that end-to-end encryption (E2EE) for Gmail on Android and iOS is now rolling out for its enterprise users. Emails that require E2EE in Workspace can be composed and read within the Gmail app, so eligible users won’t need additional apps or portals.

The new feature expands Google’s client-side encryption (CSE) offering, a little more than a year after E2EE was introduced to Gmail on the web. According to a Google blog post, any encrypted message sent to a recipient who uses the Gmail app will appear in their inbox as any email thread would. If they don’t have the app, they’re still able to read and reply to the email in their browser securely, regardless of their email address.

Google says the new functionality "combines the highest level of privacy and data encryption with a user-friendly experience for all users, enabling simple encrypted email for all customers from small businesses to enterprises and public sector." Of course, "all users" applies only to Enterprise Plus members here, with the millions of people who use Gmail as their personal email service currently unable to take advantage of the highest level of privacy and data protection.

In order for Gmail users to start using E2EE in the app, an admin must first enable Android and iOS clients in the CSE admin interface, which is available in the Admin Console. When sending an email, you have to click the lock icon and select additional encryption before sending. Attachments can then be added as normal.

E2EE is available straight away in the Rapid Release and Scheduled Release domains. Enterprise users will need the Assured Controls or Assured Controls Plus add-on, which provides businesses and organizations that handle sensitive data with extra security and compliance-related tools.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/cybersecurity/google-adds-e2e-to-gmail-for-ios-and-android-enterprise-users-165345116.html?src=rss

Google adds E2E encryption to Gmail for iOS and Android enterprise users

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Google has announced that end-to-end encryption (E2EE) for Gmail on Android and iOS is now rolling out for its enterprise users. Emails that require E2EE in Workspace can be composed and read within the Gmail app, so eligible users won’t need additional apps or portals.

The new feature expands Google’s client-side encryption (CSE) offering, a little more than a year after E2EE was introduced to Gmail on the web. According to a Google blog post, any encrypted message sent to a recipient who uses the Gmail app will appear in their inbox as any email thread would. If they don’t have the app, they’re still able to read and reply to the email in their browser securely, regardless of their email address.

Google says the new functionality "combines the highest level of privacy and data encryption with a user-friendly experience for all users, enabling simple encrypted email for all customers from small businesses to enterprises and public sector." Of course, "all users" applies only to Enterprise Plus members here, with the millions of people who use Gmail as their personal email service currently unable to take advantage of the highest level of privacy and data protection.

In order for Gmail users to start using E2EE in the app, an admin must first enable Android and iOS clients in the CSE admin interface, which is available in the Admin Console. When sending an email, you have to click the lock icon and select additional encryption before sending. Attachments can then be added as normal.

E2EE is available straight away in the Rapid Release and Scheduled Release domains. Enterprise users will need the Assured Controls or Assured Controls Plus add-on, which provides businesses and organizations that handle sensitive data with extra security and compliance-related tools.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/cybersecurity/google-adds-e2e-to-gmail-for-ios-and-android-enterprise-users-165345116.html?src=rss

YouTube Premium’s US pricing is going up

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Another day, another subscription price hike, this time for YouTube Premium. Every plan for YouTube’s ad-free tier is going up, and depending on which one you have, you could be paying as much as $4 per month more.

As reported by 9to5Google, YouTube has started emailing subscribers about the price changes, rather than announcing them publicly, and some Reddit users have posted screenshots of the emails they’ve received. The emails say that the increases will kick in during the June 2026 billing period. Individual plans are now $16 per month, up from $14, so a $2 hike. If you’re on a YouTube Premium family plan, you’ll now pay $27 per month, a $4 increase from the previous price of $23.

As a reminder, YouTube Premium unlocks ad-free viewing and listening on YouTube (including YouTube Kids) and YouTube Music, as well as offline viewing and the ability to continue listening in the background with other apps open. A family plan allows up to six accounts to enjoy all of the same benefits.

Both the Lite — which allows ad-free viewing and downloads for most, but not all, YouTube videos, and excludes music — and Music Premium plans are getting $1 increases, so the former now costs $9 per month, while the music streaming service is up to $12 per month from $11 before, according to 9to5Google. This makes it more expensive than Apple Music when taken on its own (YouTube Music Premium is also bundled with the YouTube Premium individual and family plans at no extra cost).

YouTube Premium last raised its prices (also rather quietly) in 2023, also by $2 for the regular plan. The latest price hikes follow Spotify putting its prices up by comparable amounts back in February. Netflix also jacked up the cost of all of its plans last month.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/youtube-premiums-us-pricing-is-going-up-132121683.html?src=rss

Rhythm Heaven Groove comes to Switch on July 2

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A large chunk of Nintendo’s 2026 plans remain a mystery (that is, unless you take the insiders and leakers at their word), but we have been waiting on release dates for a couple of previously announced first-party titles, including Rhythm Heaven Groove, which officially arrives July 2.

Seemingly announced first on the Nintendo Today! app before making its way to the company’s various social channels, the first new entry in the Rhythm Heaven series in more than a decade is technically launching on the original Switch, but should also be fully playable on Switch 2. Currently the game’s Switch 2 compatibility status is listed as “Untested” on its official store page, but it’s hard to imagine there being any issues there.

If you’ve never played a Rhythm Heaven game before, the series is a bit like a (slightly) less wacky WarioWare, but all the minigames are based around rhythm and beat-matching. The challenges are rarely especially complex in terms of what's required of you, leaving you free to enjoy the always excellent original pop and electronic music.

Rhythm Heaven is one of Nintendo’s less prolific series’, with the upcoming Groove being only the fifth entry in two decades. The series debuted on the Game Boy Advance in 2006 in Japan as Rhythm Tengoku, with Rhythm Heaven arriving on the DS two years later in the US. That was followed by Rhythm Heaven Fever on the Wii, and the most recent entry was 2015’s Rhythm Heaven Megamix for the 3DS, which was something of a best-of collection.

Rhythm Heaven Groove is notable not only for being the first Rhythm Heaven game of the Switch generation, but also likely one of the console’s last games, as Nintendo prepares to shift its full focus to the Switch 2. Before then we’re also getting the typically charming Yoshi and the Mysterious Book (Switch 2-only) on May 21 and Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream, which launches on both platforms next week, April 16. 

Rhythm Heaven Groove is available to pre-order now for $40.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/nintendo/rhythm-heaven-groove-comes-to-switch-on-july-2-155715068.html?src=rss

Google introduces AI-generated avatars to YouTube Shorts

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A new feature that lets you create an AI avatar with your likeness is now live on YouTube. First announced in a blog post earlier this year, avatars are designed to be used in Shorts (provided you still allow them to show up), allowing you to insert yourself into video content in a way that YouTube deems to be safe and secure.

YouTube’s approach to combatting the AI sloppification of the internet and the proliferation of deepfakes appears to be adding more and more AI features to its platform, framing this latest addition as a tool that gives creators more control of their digital identities. Any video generated using an avatar will feature YouTube’s AI disclosure and include visible watermarks and labels like SynthID and C2PA.

YouTube has published a pretty in-depth explainer on how to create and use an avatar in either the YouTube or YouTube Create app, but here’s a brief summary of how to do it using the former. Once you’ve opened AI Playground, you’ll be taking a "live selfie" that also records your voice. You can then preview your photorealistic virtual self and either proceed with it or redo the process if you’re unhappy with anything. Creating an avatar in the YouTube Create app is broadly similar, but you have to navigate to the My Avatar homepage first.

YouTube recommends that you hold your phone at eye level and keep yourself centered as much as possible. Lighting is also important, as is ensuring your whole face is visible, you’re in a quiet area, and there’s nobody else in the background. You also have to be the account owner to create an avatar, and over the age of 18.

Once you have an avatar you like, you simply type in a prompt and wait for the AI to generate a video, which according to 9to5Google can be up to eight seconds long. Alternatively, YouTube will also let you add an avatar to existing "eligible" Shorts by tapping "Remix" and then "Reimagine" with your avatar selected.

Avatars can be deleted or retaken whenever you like, as can any video with your avatar in it. You can also limit who’s able to remix your videos, but deleting a video with your avatar in it won’t also delete the original video, or that avatar from your account. YouTube will automatically delete any avatar that hasn’t been used to create new video content for three years.

The new avatar feature will roll out gradually, and is the latest in a long line of AI-centric tools and updates YouTube has added to the platform in the last year, including automatic upscaling for low-res videos, automatic editing for creators and an AI-generated carousel for search results.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/google-introduces-ai-generated-avatars-to-youtube-shorts-140222368.html?src=rss

How to watch the Triple-i Initiative showcase on April 9

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The latest Triple-i Initiative Showcase is nearly upon us, as the indie-focused event returns for its third consecutive year on Thursday, April 9 at 12PM ET / 9AM PT. We’re being promised announcements for 40 games, including eight world premieres, so it’s well worth tuning in if you like your indies.

You’ll be able to watch the stream on The Triple-i Initiative YouTube channel, as well as Twitch, bilibili, niconico and on Steam. Co-streaming partners IGN and Gamespot will also host their own streams. The showcase will run for 45 minutes, and nine featured studios will also have post-show deep dives on their games if you want to know more. As previously, the mantra here is "no hosts, no ads, just games," so rest assured your attention will be rewarded. 

Confirmed featured games so far include Risk of Rain 2, the open-world survival game Windrose and Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse. We also know that the studio behind the excellent sci-fi narrative adventure 1000xResist will be showing off what it’s been working on, and we can also expect news from Cairn developer The Game Bakers.

It sounds like a typically eclectic lineup, then, and given last year’s showcase gave us release dates for 2025 indie hits like The Alters and Rematch, you can be confident that plenty of notable news should come out of this one too.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/how-to-watch-the-triple-i-initiative-showcase-on-april-9-170353957.html?src=rss

Greece will ban all kids under 15 from using social media

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Greece will ban children under the age 15 from using social media starting next year. Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis made the announcement in a video posted to TikTok, in which he referenced anxiety, sleep problems and addictive design features as reasons for the ban.

Greece has been proactive in its approach to tackling excessive screen time for children, having already banned mobile phones in schools in 2024. While the PM chose not to name any platforms, he said he was concerned about children comparing themselves to others on social media and taking online comments to heart.

"Greece will be ​among the first countries to take ​such an initiative," Mitsotakis said. "I am certain, ​however, that it will not be the last. Our ⁠goal is to push the European Union in this direction as well."

As reported by The New York Times, Greece’s digital governance minister, Dimitris Papastergiou, said that social media companies would be legally required to uphold the new restrictions by verifying the ages of their users. Failure to comply would lead to fines under the EU’s Digital Services Act. Parents would also need to download an app called Kids Wallet, backed by the state, that could be paired to their child’s device and block access. The finer details of how the ban would be enforced are still being worked out by decision-makers.

The PM conceded that he would likely incur the wrath of his country’s young children, but there’s widespread support for the plans from Greece’s adult population, according to an opinion poll published by ALCO in February. Greece follows in the footsteps of Indonesia, Austria and Australia, all of which have introduced similar bans of their own in the last year. The UK is also considering bringing in tighter restrictions on children under the age of 16 using social media.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/greece-will-ban-all-kids-under-15-from-using-social-media-154850415.html?src=rss

GoPro to lay off over 20 percent of staff by the end of 2026

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GoPro will cut 23 percent of its global workforce by the end of this year, as the action camera pioneer looks to reverse its fortunes in a competitive market.

145 employees will be laid off, with the restructuring process commencing in the second quarter of 2026, the San Mateo company said in a Form 8-K filing. At the end of the first quarter, GoPro’s total number of employees stood at 631, and it expects the cuts to cost it between $11.5 million and $15 million. These charges include honoring severance packages and healthcare benefits.

GoPro’s last reported round of layoffs took place in the second half of 2024. The company posted a year-end revenue decline in its 2025 financial results, including a loss of $9 million in its fourth quarter.

Despite the layoffs, GoPro is seemingly optimistic about 2026, banking on its AI-centric GP3 processor to spearhead a "new era of performance and innovation" for the company. The first GP3-powered GoPro cameras will launch in the coming months.

GoPro launched its first action camera in the early 2000s and enjoyed huge success with extreme sports enthusiasts. But it no longer has the market to itself, facing stiff competition from the likes of DJI, Insta360 and smartphone cameras in general.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/cameras/gopro-to-lay-off-over-20-percent-of-staff-by-the-end-of-2026-131918779.html?src=rss