TechCrunch – Page 12

Instagram is lowering video quality for unpopular videos

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The popularity of an Instagram video can affect its actual video quality: According to Adam Mosseri (the Meta executive who leads Instagram and Threads), videos that are more popular get shown in higher quality, while less popular videos get shown in lower quality. In a video (via The Verge), Mosseri said Instagram tries to show “the highest-quality video that we can,” but he said, “if something isn’t watched for a long time — because the vast majority of views are in the beginning — we will move to a lower quality video.”
https://techcrunch.com/2024/10/27/instagram-is-lowering-video-quality-for-unpopular-videos/

US judge orders Google to open up Google Play to rivals

According to the filing, Google is not allowed to pay developers to launch their apps exclusively on Google Play starting November 1 for the next three years. The company also can’t force developers to use Google Play’s billing system and must allow them to notify users of other ways to pay.
https://techcrunch.com/2024/10/07/us-judge-orders-google-to-open-up-google-play-to-rivals/

Website builder Squarespace says it’s training its AI tools with curation and taste

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Gubbay argued that while other website builders have “scrambled very quickly” to launch AI features, those competitors are asking, “How can we take this technology and use it to stand out to our customers?” while Squarespace has been asking something a little different: “How do we take all these latest technologies and really use it to help our customers stand out?”
https://techcrunch.com/2024/10/06/cpo-paul-gubbay-says-squarespace-is-training-its-ai-tools-with-curation-and-taste

Sonos outlines turnaround plan following app disaster

All told, the response is a mixed bag. Some things like “relentlessly improve the app experience with regular software upgrades” are difficult — if not impossible — to quantify. If you drill down a bit further, however, you begin seeing actual metrics like, “We will roll out updated mobile software versions every 2-4 weeks to optimize and enhance the software experience, even once this issue is resolved.”
https://techcrunch.com/2024/10/01/sonos-outlines-turnaround-plan-following-app-disaster/

WordPress.org bans WP Engine, blocks it from accessing its resources | TechCrunch

WordPress drama went up another notch on Wednesday after WordPress.org banned hosting provider WP Engine from accessing its resources. “WP Engine wants to control your WordPress experience, they need to run their own user login system, update servers, plugin directory, theme directory, pattern directory, block directory, translations, photo directory, job board, meetups, conferences, bug tracker, forums, Slack, Ping-o-matic, and showcase. Their servers can no longer access our servers for free."
https://techcrunch.com/2024/09/25/wordpress-org-bans-wp-engine-blocks-it-from-accessing-its-resources/

Flappy Bird’s creator disavows ‘official’ new version of the game

A decade after the wildly popular game Flappy Bird disappeared, an organization calling itself the Flappy Bird Foundation announced plans to “re-hatch the official Flappy Bird® game.” But this morning, the game’s creator, Dong Nguyen, posted a characteristically terse comment stating that he has nothing to do with the revival and that he “did not sell anything.” He added, “I also don’t support crypto.”
https://techcrunch.com/2024/09/15/flappy-birds-creator-disavows-official-new-version-of-the-game/