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London sets out safety-first plan for regulating ride-sharing
After London sent ripple’s of shock through Silicon Valley last year by denying Uber a renewal of its private hire vehicle license, the city’s transport regulator is doubling down on its scrutiny of the impact of app-based ride operators. Today it’s published a policy statement setting out its intentions for adopting transport regulations to fit the…
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Chat app Kakao’s games business lands $130M from Tencent and others ahead of IPO
Korea’s dominant messaging firm Kakao is back raising funds after its games business, a standalone unit that is headed for an IPO, pulled in $130 million (140 billion KRW) from Tencent and a range of other strategic investors. The company, which owns Korea’s top mobile messaging app and one of the country’s largest internet portals,…
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Senator calls on Tinder to fix a security flaw that lets randos snoop through your dates
Oregon Senator Ron Wyden is nervous about Tinder. He may not be swiping on the service this Valentine’s Day, but with a new letter demanding that Tinder resolve some security issues, Wyden is looking out for everyone who is. Last month, a security report surfaced what it deemed “disturbing vulnerabilities” in the dating app. Wyden’s…
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Facebook should actually be Tinder too
There’s beauty in the double-blind opt-in. That’s the way you match with someone on Tinder. You like them, they like you, you both find out and get connected. But to date, the feature’s largely been trapped in dating apps that match you with randos or that not everyone wants to be on. That means this…
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Florence invites you into an interactive graphic novel about finding love (and losing it)
The latest game from Monument Valley designer Ken Wong doesn’t have much in common with the brilliant pastel puzzler, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t worth experiencing. Florence, available now in the App Store, isn’t really a game so much as a graphic novel strewn with a few interactive moments, kind of like quicktime events…
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Facebook’s child-friendly texting app Messenger Kids arrives on Android
Facebook’s controversial app Messenger Kids, which lets parents control who kids can talk to, is today rolling out to Android devices in the U.S. with its launch on Google Play. The app will also now include a variety of new features for Valentine’s Day, like themed masks, stickers and frames, so kids can send special…
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Snapchat finally gives creators analytics
Snapchat has always been terrible at analytics, only showing daily Story view counts that content creators had to screenshot just before they disappeared every 24 hours in order to prove their worth to sponsors. But starting today, tens of thousands creators who make official Stories or have large followings will start seeing a slew of…
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Tinder to adopt Bumble’s ‘ladies first’ feature in a future update
Tinder will make a change to its dating app in an upcoming update that will allow women to message first, according to a report from MarketWatch this morning, which TechCrunch has also confirmed. The new option will allow women to choose when to start a conversation, but it will not be the default setting as…
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iHeartUs helps couples grow their relationship
Today’s Valentines Day, and while it’s certainly the quintessential consumer-driven holiday, it’s also a day where many couples take stock of their relationship. iHeartUs, a new app for couples, is launching today to help those couples keep and grow their relationships. Using a proprietary ‘love language’ algorithm, iHeartUs offers personalized recommendations for date ideas, gifts,…
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Varsity Tutors lands $50 million in Series C funding
Varsity Tutors, the learning platform founded in 2011, today announced the close of a $50 million Series C funding round led by Learn Capital. The Chan Zuckerberg Initiative and existing investor TCV also participated in the round. Varsity Tutors started as an offline service, connecting the best tutors on campus with those who needed help…