Author: TechBrunch
Some users and designers are called Apple's new user interface, called liquid glass, but it's a little faster. There is reason to think that it could improve, but there are also effective criticisms. While no doubt overhauling the operating system design looks unfinished in many parts, notifications are hard to read, and there is the Control Center overlay monster – the first developer beta ever shipped to Apple, not the final release. By the time Apple launches iOS 26 and other OSes are updated to the public this fall, there is still time for many of the current issues in…
A day after Apple announced an operating system overhaul at WWDC 2025, Google launched its own major software upgrade set for phones. Starting Tuesday, a new release of Android 16 will be rolling out to Google's Pixel smartphone lineup, adding group chat to RCS, AI-driven editing suggestions for Google photos, and support for corporate badges on Google Wallet. This release also focuses on better accessibility support and improved messaging and contact customization. Apart from Android 16, Google has announced an upgrade as part of the regular feature updates for its eligible pixel phone, Pixel Drop. Android 16 improvements Android 16…
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg said today that its social networking thread will eventually begin testing a DM (direct message) inbox that is separate from the users' Instagram DM inbox. This means that users don't have to use Instagram or switch apps to chat with anyone on the platform. The company will initially test the feature in a limited number of regions, including Hong Kong, Thailand and Argentina, and plan to deploy it elsewhere soon. The chat feature is currently limited to one-to-one conversations rather than group messaging. This could be seen as a positive development of Meta's latest social networks.…
Enterprise AI Company Glean announced Tuesday that it has raised a $150 million Series F, led by Wellington Management, at a $7.2 billion valuation. This is less than a year since the $260 million Series E was announced in September at a $4.6 billion valuation, twice the rating from a February 2024 salary increase. Since early 2024, Glean has raised $610 million, increasing its valuation from $2.2 billion to $7.2 billion. Glean says it surpassed $100 million in ARR last fiscal year. GLEAN provides a tool for corporate employees to search corporate documents via LLM-powered natural language, leveraging apps such…
This week, StrictlyVC downloads will join Justin Fanelli, editor-in-chief of StrictlyVC's Alex Gove and TechCrunch, Justin Fanelli, Technical Technology Director, Program Executive Office Digital and Enterprise Services, who oversees billions of dollars in IT infrastructure and cybersecurity initiatives. He is also a venture partner at Nextgen Venture Partners and a senior fellow at the AI Open Forum. This episode discusses the Navy Innovation Recruitment Kit designed to fill the “valley of death” between commercial technology and military implementation, start-ups onboarding partnerships with the Defense Innovation Unit, and how the Navy measures success through new outcome-driven metrics that save more than…
At the end of Monday's WWDC 2025 keynote, the company literally sang praise to app developers. Singer-songwriter Allen Stone has humorously transformed customer positive app store reviews into lyrics for a song titled “6 out of 5 stars.” “Sorry, the best app ever,” he cloned. “This is not an app. It's a work of art.” Image credit: Apple (screenshot) But what Apple didn't mention was related to the developer community, or more broadly, why developers should continue to focus their trust on companies fighting for all nickel and dimes while failing otherwise. In recent years, the Cupertino-based tech giant has…
United Natural Foods (UNFI), a leading US grocery distribution company, said Tuesday it is working to restore its capabilities following a cyberattack that continues to disrupt its grocery supply chain. UNFI said it was “deeply managing it through cyber incidents” as part of its third quarter revenue report. The company “helps our customers with the shortest possible solution,” UNFI CEO Sandy Douglas said in a prepared statement. During the company's post-reconstruction conference call, Douglas said UNFI “continues to restore the system back online and restore a wide range of customer service as quickly as possible.” The company, a leading distributor…
Apple has announced many major design and feature updates for all operating systems for WWDC 2025. As with every year, the company has previously rebuilt features available through third-party apps. In the Apple world, this is called “Sherlocking.” In the late 90s, Apple launched a search app called Sherlock on MacOS 8, allowing users to search the web and files on their local system. Another company called Karelia Software had an existing $29 search app called Watson and a plugin to improve internet search. In 2002, Apple released Sherlock 3, which has similar features to Watson, and was forced to…
At WWDC meeting on Monday, Apple announced its new Macos Tahoe. It comes with a series of updates related to Apple Intelligence, iPhone Continuity Features and Spotlight Search. Apple's new “Liquid Glass” design is now available on the Macos Tahoe for a sophisticated, customizable look. Yes, finally, you can turn the folder icon into pink (or other colors). Like the iOS 26, Macos Tahoe's design refresh comes in a more reflective, transparent style, like real glass. But behind the glossy updates are other upgrades that leverage Apple Intelligence to improve the user experience. Image credit: Apple The Macos Tahoe is…
After many complaints about redesigning the Photos app on iOS 18, Apple is tweaking the look and feel of the app with a new OS release. It is now branded as iOS 26. The change was briefly mentioned on Monday in a keynote address at Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC 25). Apple said it is reverting its tabbed interface to the photos, but it doesn't look the same as before. “We never missed using tabs in the Photos app,” said Craig Federighi, Apple's Senior Vice President of Software Engineering. This said it's just as close as Apple admits it made…