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Apple urged TikTok to increase its age recommendations, redacted documents show

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TikTok currently faces lawsuits from 14 states alleging the platform damages young users' mental health and they're not the only ones who think it. It turns out that Apple apparently privately pressed TikTok to raise its age recommendations from 12 and over to 17 and over, The Washington Post reports. The comments from Apple showed up in South Carolina's compliant against TikTok and were supposed to be redacted but, oops, they were accidentally made public. 

Let's dive into what was said, shall we? In 2022, Apple had a team review TikTok's age rating and found the platform had "frequent or intense mature or suggestive content." Apple added, "We hope you will consider making the necessary changes to follow the App Store Review Guidelines and will resubmit." We don't know all the details of what Apple requested as only some of the redacted content was made public. 

Yet, there's plenty of evidence in these momentarily not-redacted documents about TikTok being not so age appropriate. In fact, outsiders and TikTok's own employees found issue with what the company did to reduce content like profanity and eating disorders. The former was found in one out of every 50 pop-up alerts that minors in the US and UK received within a month's time. Advocacy group Accountable Tech found the inadvertently public information and shared it with The Post.

The accidentally public bits of South Carolina's complaint further claimed TikTok sought to "leverage goodwill in lobbying efforts" by donating to organizations like parent-teacher associations. The company also sponsored events for politicians, like an event for the foundation of South Carolina Democratic Representative James E. Clyburn, the former House majority whip. For the record, Clyburn joined the minority in voting against TikTok being sold or banned in the US. 

Unsurprisingly, TikTok wasn't so happy about having this information made public (it's all back behind black marks now). TikTok spokesperson Alex Haurek called publishing the redacted information irresponsible, claimed "many of these issues have already been addressed" and stated that the company “has always enforced strict policies against nudity, sexually explicit content, and solicitation."

South Carolina isn't the only state that's lawsuit had a revealing redaction mistake. Kentucky's accidentally public documents revealed that TikTok had reportedly found "compulsive usage correlates with a slew of negative mental health effects like loss of analytical skills, memory formation, contextual thinking, conversational depth, empathy, and increased anxiety." TikTok also reportedly knew its time limit tool wouldn't be effective for minors (average daily use decreased by one minute and a half after implementation). Then there was another document which allegedly said "across most engagement metrics, the younger the user, the better the performance." Don't you just love when companies have its users' best interests in mind?  

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/apps/apple-urged-tiktok-to-increase-its-age-recommendations-redacted-documents-show-131501139.html?src=rss

Nintendo Music is a streaming service for Switch Online subscribers

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Nintendo has launched its own music streaming service that caters to fans of its games, including Mario and Animal Crossing. Fans will be able to listen to their favorite game tracks on their phones through the new Nintendo Music app, which has a user interface that pretty much looks like Spotify. The tracks are organized by game, so people can play the whole OST for specific titles if they want, but they can also listen to character playlists like a selection of songs performed by Animal Crossing's K.K. Slider. 

If they're in the mood for certain songs, they can hit up one of the pre-made themed playlists, which put together tracks for themes like "boss battle" and "victory." The app offers mood playlists, as well, that groups tracks with similar vibes, such as soft, relaxing songs for bedtime listening. One feature that's probably unique to the service is spoiler prevention. If the listener adds a certain game to the setting, the app will hide the soundtracks that could give away a surprise ending or an unexpected final boss, among other potential spoilers. They can also extend a single track and keep it playing on repeat for up to an hour if that's all they want to listen to. 

Fans can access the new Nintendo Music service with a Switch Online membership, though they can start listening to game tracks even if they're still on free trial. Every member on a Switch Online Family membership can also access it, so they don't need to pay for an individual subscription. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/streaming/nintendo-music-is-a-streaming-service-for-switch-online-subscribers-130035796.html?src=rss

Samsung could launch its ‘extended reality’ wearable device next year

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It sounds like Samsung is hoping to launch its extended reality (XR) wearable device sometime next year. The company has revealed its outlook for 2025 in its new earnings report, wherein it said that it's looking to "improve connectivity among products, including upcoming XR devices, to further elevate user experiences in the Galaxy ecosystem." Samsung first revealed that it was working on a wearable device with augmented, mixed and virtual reality capabilities at the Galaxy S23 Unpacked event last year. It will run a Google-designed version of Android specifically made for wearable displays, and it will be powered by a Qualcomm chip. 

As 9to5Google notes, previous reports claimed that Samsung will release a developer version of the wearable in October 2024, but that clearly didn't happen. Samsung didn't share more concrete details about the device's launch in its earnings report either, so there's no guarantee that the wearable will be available by next year. 

During the company's earnings conference call, Samsung EVP Jaejune Kim also alluded to the possibility of developing a more affordable foldable phone. Kim said that because its foldable devices "have high levels of product satisfaction," the company is "considering ways to ease purchase barriers" so that more people can afford one. A Samsung official previously denied rumors that a cheaper Galaxy Z Fold was in the works, so it's not quite clear if the company changed its mind or if it's only working on a cheaper version of the Z Flip. In addition, Kim revealed that Samsung is "preparing a new form factor" for those "seeking an even more powerful and innovative mobile experience," though he may also be pertaining to the company's extended reality wearable device. 

Of course, Samsung has confirmed that it will be launching the S25 series of phones next year. It reiterated plans to focus on AI features, as well as to improve AI offerings designed specifically for foldable phones. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/samsung-could-launch-its-extended-reality-wearable-device-next-year-123008566.html?src=rss

Bumble now lets you sort matches by interests

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Dating apps are a constant battle to find just one person that you might click with for more than a few meet ups. Unfortunately, so much of the experience focuses on physical appearance rather than learning much about the other person — a dynamic that is hard to overcome on an app. Bumble is making the latest attempt to do so by allowing users to search for matches based on their interests.

Users can access the new tool by clicking "narrow your search" and then "advanced filters." Then they can choose "filter by your interests." Each user can only include up to five interests on their profile, so there's a risk of someone not having picked a mutual interest even if they do like it — and Bumble just added over 30 new options. But, at the same time, people can't click all of them in hopes of connecting, rather than actually being interested in the same thing. Plus, there's an option to see other people if potential options run out.

In general, most topics are pretty light, like memes, tacos and traveling. There are some interests that shed a slightly deeper look on the other person, like mindfulness, slow living and therapy. Either way, they're not getting a full peak into the other person's soul, but at least it's more than just a pretty face?

Bumble is also expanding its Opening Moves feature, which launched in April of this year, and allows people to set a specific question every one of their matches can reply to, rather than thinking of a new first message each time. Now, people can add up to three Opening Moves for matches to respond to and they can be images with captions.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/apps/bumble-now-lets-you-sort-matches-by-interests-120014909.html?src=rss

The Morning After: Our verdict on the Kindle Colorsoft

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Finally, a color Kindle. Amazon, the dominant force in ereaders, finally brought color eink to its series of devices — and we’ve reviewed it. The Kindle Colorsoft is a solid premium ereader, ideal for readers of comics and graphic novels. The company has upgraded page-turn speed and a handy pinch-to-zoom function makes it easier to fully enjoy detailed images.

But at $280, it’s expensive. More expensive, even, than rival color ereaders. However, it’s hard to argue against the convenience and ubiquity of the Kindle ecosystem. The library is seemingly endless (with regular discounts on books and titles you plan to read), supplemented by Prime Reading and Kindle Unlimited. If you’re tempted, check out our detailed review and comparisons with other ereaders.

— Mat Smith

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The biggest tech stories you missed

Election 2024: How will the candidates regulate AI?

X’s Community Notes feature has one job, and it’s failing to do it

Meta AI has more than 500 million users

TMA
Engadget

With the Action 5 Pro, DJI finally has a worthy rival to GoPro and Insta360 action cam. With excellent battery life and solid image quality, the only drawback is slightly less-sharp video. However, if low-light performance is key, head straight for the Action 5 Pro. DJI’s new action cam costs $350, while the Hero 13 Pro and Insta360’s Ace Pro 2 are $400. The DJI beats both in battery life and is on par with its rivals when it comes to stabilization.

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Following the 24-inch iMac, then the adorable new Mac mini, Apple is also bringing its M4 chips to the 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro too. And, in addition to the base M4 chip and the M4 Pro, they can also be configured with the newly announced M4 Max. Alongside the internal spec boost, the new MacBook Pros have slightly brighter screens, which can reach up to 1,000 nits of SDR brightness (compared to 600 nits before), and there’s also a nano-texture display option, which drastically reduces glare for people working in very bright environments or direct sunlight.

Continue reading.

TMA
Nothing

It doesn’t go bump in the night, but it does glow.

Continue reading.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/general/the-morning-after-engadget-newsletter-111538190.html?src=rss

Meta AI has more than 500 million users

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Last month at Meta Connect, Mark Zuckerberg said that Meta AI was “on track” to become the most-used generative AI assistant in the world. The company has now passed a significant milestone toward that goal, with Meta AI passing the 500 million user mark, Zuckerberg revealed during the company’s latest earnings call.

The half billion user mark comes just barely a year after the social network first launched its AI assistant last fall. Zuckerberg said the company still expects to become the “most-used” assistant by the end of 2024, though he's never specified how the company is measuring that metric. 

Meta’s assistant isn’t the only AI tool that’s boosting the company’s business. Zuckerberg said that AI improvements in its feed and video recommendations have led to an 8 percent increase in time spent on Facebook and a 5 percent increase for Instagram this year. Advertisers are also taking advantage of the company’s AI tools, he said, with more than 15 million ads created with generative AI in the last month alone. “We believe that there's a lot more upside here,” Zuckerberg said.

Outside of AI, Meta’s Threads app also continues to surge. The service now has “almost 275 million” monthly users, according to Zuckerberg. “It's been growing more than a million sign ups per day,” Zuckerberg said, adding that “engagement is growing too.”

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/meta-ai-has-more-than-500-million-users-220353427.html?src=rss

Disney nabs the broadcast and streaming rights to the Grammys away from CBS

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CBS’ long-standing deal with the Grammys appears to be coming to an end. The Hollywood Reporter announced that the Grammy Awards inked a new deal that will move the music awards ceremony to ABC, Hulu and Disney+ starting in 2027.

CBS will still be able to broadcast the Grammys in 2025 and 2026 on its broadcast network and its streaming service Paramount+, where the show has been available for a few years. Then the awards broadcast moves to its new home in 2027. The new deal will also keep the Grammys on ABC and its sister streaming sites through 2036.

Getting the Grammys is a huge coup for the Disney media empire. ABC is also the home of the Oscars. The current deal keeps the Academy Awards on its network at least until 2028.

The Grammys and the Oscars are also the two most watched awards broadcasts in the television industry. The last Grammy Awards attracted an audience of 16.9 million viewers this year. The 96th annual Academy Awards registered 19.5 million viewers in March, the biggest audience for any award show since 2020.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/streaming/disney-nabs-the-broadcast-and-streaming-rights-to-the-grammys-away-from-cbs-214212558.html?src=rss

Everything Apple announced during its unofficial Mac Week

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Following the illustrious line of calendar-spanning corporate events like Lobsterfest and Shark Week, Apple tried something new this year with a celebration unofficially known as Mac Week. (Fortunately for Apple, it just so happens to coincide with its earnings call on Thursday!) The company’s three-day product rollout for desktop hardware centered around the M4 chip, built for Apple Intelligence. We recount everything Apple spit out this week, including a new iMac, Mac mini, MacBook Pro and other goodies like Apple Intelligence’s official arrival on iOS, iPadOS and macOS.

Standard product shot of the new iMac
Apple

The M4-powered iMac has the same design (apart from some new colors) but with more horsepower inside. Apple says the all-in-one desktop is 1.7 times faster for daily productivity and 2.1 times faster for more demanding tasks like gaming or photo editing. Like all new Macs announced this week, it loses the measly 8GB of RAM previously seen in the cheapest Macs, jumping to 16GB as the baseline. (Woo!)

The new iMac still has a 24-inch 4.5K Retina display encased in an aluminum unibody design. However, it adds a new nano-texture glass screen option for reduced glare and a 12MP Center Stage camera that supports Apple’s Desk View.

You can pre-order the M4 iMac now, starting at $1,299. Deliveries and in-store sales begin on November 8.

Closeup of a person's hand holding the new (tiny) Mac mini
Apple

Apple’s little Mac that could lives up to its “mini” branding more than ever. The 2024 Mac mini is a mere five-inch by five-inch box, two inches tall. (That’s only slightly bigger than the Apple TV 4K!)

The new Mac mini is available in M4 and M4 Pro configurations. Apple says the M4 variant is up to 1.8 times faster than the M1 model from four years ago. Its graphics are up to 2.2 times faster. It should also be much better for Apple Intelligence: It supports 38 TOPS (tera operations per second) of AI processing power. That dwarfs the 18 TOPS from the (only one-year-old) M3 chip. It, too, starts with 16GB of RAM.

For the first time, the machine ditches legacy USB ports. It has two USB-C ports on the front and three Thunderbolt USB-C ports on the back (along with HDMI and Ethernet).

The M4 Mac mini is available to pre-order. It starts at $599, while the souped-up M4 Pro variant starts at $1,399. It arrives on November 9.

A person sitting in a lab, using the new MacBook Pro with M4 chip.
Apple

Most of Apple’s Mac sales are in the MacBook lineup, which makes sense. Not only can you use them on the go, but you can also grab a Thunderbolt cable and hook them up to the monitor of your choice to double as a desktop. So, the climax of Mac Week was the new M4-powered MacBook Pro.

The only new Mac with three chip tiers, the MacBook Pro comes in M4, M4 Pro and M4 Max options. Apple says the M4 Pro is up to three times faster than the M1 Pro, and the M4 Max is up to 3.5 times faster than the M1 Max. The M4 variant is up to 1.8 times faster than the M1-powered 13-inch MacBook Pro for photo editing. That jumps to 3.4 times faster for demanding work like rendering scenes in Blender.

Its Neural Engine for Apple Intelligence (and other AI) is over three times as powerful as the M1. Helping out on the AI front (and for all-around performance) is the same 16GB of RAM as a baseline.

The laptop offers the same nano-texture display option as the iMac and up to 1,000 nits of brightness for SDR content. It also adopts the 12MP Center Stage camera for much better built-in video call capabilities. The device has three Thunderbolt 4 ports and an estimated 24 hours of battery life — as Apple puts it, that’s the longest ever in a Mac.

The new MacBook Pro is available in familiar 14-inch and 16-inch models. The smaller model with the M4 chip starts at $1,599, the M4 Pro variant starts at $1,999, and the ultra-high-end M4 Max will set you back at least $3,199. The 16-inch MacBook Pro starts at $2,499 with the M4 Pro chip, while an M4 Max flavor is $3,499 and up.

Apple's Craig Federighi standing in front of a screen that reads
Apple

Apple’s first wave of on-device AI features is now in consumers’ hands, with no beta software required. This round includes writing tools like proofreading, rewiring and summaries, live call transcriptions and notification summaries.

The beginnings of a more intelligent Siri also arrived with this batch, including typed queries and an improved ability to recognize stutters or self-interruptions. You also get a neat new glowing border that announces to the world, “This ain’t the shitty Siri you’re used to!” But you’ll have to wait for the next wave of Siri upgrades for a more significant overhaul, like a better understanding of personal context.

Now, the bad news. Apple Intelligence is only available on a handful of recent devices in each of Apple’s major product categories. For the iPhone, that’s the iPhone 15 Pro / Pro Max and the new iPhone 16 lineup (including non-Pro models). You’ll need a model with an M-series chip on the iPad, although the new iPad mini (with an A17 Pro chip) is an exception. As for Macs, you’ll also need a model with M-series Apple silicon, which stretches back to the last four years of models.

Apple Intelligence (round one) requires iOS 18.1, iPadOS 18.1 or macOS Sequoia 15.1. The X.2 variants of each OS will bring the next wave of AI features, like ChatGPT integration and Image Playground.

Screen of an Apple hearing test
Apple

Not to be missed among the higher-profile announcements is a new series of hearing health tools for AirPods Pro 2 owners.

Announced at Apple’s September iPhone launch, the hearing features include a “clinically validated” hearing test, hearing protection (like for concerts) and the ability to use the device as a hearing aid if it detects mild to moderate impairment. (If severe, it will nudge you towards a professional.)

Engadget’s audio guru, Billy Steele, is the person to follow for more on these features. He’s extensively trialed them, including taking hearing tests with an Apple rep and test-driving AirPods-powered hearing protection at concerts.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/computing/everything-apple-announced-during-its-unofficial-mac-week-210115997.html?src=rss

Proton brings its VPN to Apple TV with new app

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Proton announced the debut of an Apple TV app for its virtual private network. The new app, which was "among the most requested features from our community," according to the company's blog post, is available for download from the App Store on any Apple TV. It will allow customers with a paid Proton VPN plan to stream their media content from any location on Apple's set-top box.

Proton VPN was our favorite when we reviewed it in 2023, and it's still our top pick this year for a virtual private network. The service boasts excellent features for security, privacy and usability. Our only real complaint was that the free tier comes with a lot of limitations. But if you're interested in the company's platform, Proton is currently running an early Black Friday deal where you can snag one or two year plans at a steep discount.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/cybersecurity/vpn/proton-brings-its-vpn-to-apple-tv-with-new-app-204549019.html?src=rss

X’s Community Notes feature has one job, and it’s failing to do it

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It’s no secret that X has become an even bigger cesspool of misleading information, unchecked claims and flat-out falsities since Elon Musk took over. Two new reports from The Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH) and The Washington Post reveal that the safeguards Musk removed and replaced aren’t controlling X’s problems with misinformation.

The CCDH published a report on its investigation into X’s Community Notes feature, a user-driven reporting system in which anonymous users write and rate correction for misleading posts. Researchers took a sample of 283 misleading election posts from the social media platform that received proposed Community Notes between January 1 and August 25. The report says that 209 of those misleading sample posts did not show the Community Notes correction to all X users. Even more alarming, the 209 misleading posts in question racked up 2.2 billion views.

The Washington Post followed the CCDH’s report with its own investigation into X’s Community Notes feature and found that X’s problems with misinformation go far beyond the election.

Former President Donald Trump made the bold claim during his only presidential debate with Vice President Kamala Harris that Haitians were eating people’s pets in Springfield, Ohio. Moderator and ABC news anchor David Muir corrected Trump’s statement as false because no such cases were reported to local police or government entities. The fact checking website Politifact rated Trump’s claim its lowest false rating of “Pants on Fire.” That didn’t stop this falsehood from spreading across X among conservative-leaning users.

The Post found that an account called End Wokeness with a following of 3.1 million X users started disseminating the former President’s claim about Haitian immigrants. The post remained unchecked for four days until one Community Notes user flagged the post as incorrect, citing five different articles to back up the correction. Unfortunately, the note failed to garner enough votes to label the post as false and it went uncorrected. As of Wednesday, the post is still on @EndWokeness’ account with a Community Note where it’s racked up 4.9 million views.

Musk’s account hasn’t helped the problem. The Post reports that he’s become “one of the X users most often targeted with proposed Community Notes” with one of 10 posts receiving a proposed correction note.

The publication cited a July post from @elonmusk containing a manipulated video of Harris spouting about President Joe Biden’s “senility” and how she became the nominee because she’s “the ultimate diversity hire.” You know where this is going. There’s no Community Notes or correction and the post is still on X even though thousands of replies from other X users are pointing out that it’s a fake. The post has a whopping 136.6 million views.

"Community Notes maintains a high bar to make notes effective and maintain trust across perspectives, and thousands of election and politics related notes have cleared that bar in 2024," Keith Coleman, VP of product at X, said in a statement. "In the last month alone, hundreds of such notes have been shown on thousands of posts and have been seen tens of millions of times. It is because of their quality that notes are so effective." Coleman, who oversees Community Notes, pointed to previous academic research into the feature. That research includes studies that found posts with a Community Note were 60 percent less likely to be shared, and that Community Notes result in an 80 percent uptick in post deletions. 

The CCDH is one of Musk and X’s most vocal opponents. The British non-profit continually monitors Musk’s account for false posts that failed to earn a Community Note, particularly when it comes to the presidential election. CCDH CEO Imran Ahmed said in August that X “is failing woefully to contain the kind of algorithmically-boosted incitement that we all know can lead to real world violence. X took the CCDH to court over claims the non-profit created a “scare campaign” to bring down its advertising revenue. A US district court judge dismissed the lawsuit in March.

Update October 30, 2024, 9 PM ET: This story has been updated to add a statement and additional information from X VP of Product Keith Coleman.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/xs-community-notes-feature-has-one-job-and-its-failing-to-do-it-202645987.html?src=rss