Meta has quietly released a new standalone app for Facebook Groups, called “Forum.” The company seems to be positioning Forum as a platform that functions similarly to Reddit, describing the app as a “dedicated space built for deeper discussions, real answers and communities you care about.”
https://techcrunch.com/2026/05/22/meta-quietly-launches-a-new-reddit-like-app-called-forum/
Maka Kids is building a streaming app for children ages zero to six featuring content designed for healthy development. The startup has now raised $3 million in seed funding to scale its platform, and is currently accepting waitlist sign-ups. Unlike traditional streaming platforms, Maka Kids doesn’t have recommendation algorithms, ads, or auto-play. Instead, it is designed to offer a predictable experience that supports learning, creativity, and emotional growth.
https://techcrunch.com/2026/05/21/maka-kids-is-redefining-kids-screen-time-with-a-streaming-app-optimized-for-well-being-not-engagement/
It’s graduation week, which means the emissaries of the nation’s elite are now descending onto college campuses to deliver the much-discussed and, they hope, indelibly quotable college commencement address. The problem this year, however, is that the news of the day is artificial intelligence, and students just don’t want to hear it. AI has become a hobgoblin of bad graduation addresses, landing somewhere between cringe, out of touch, and offensive.
https://www.fastcompany.com/91544892/the-students-booing-ai-arent-luddites
The era of the “ten blue links” is officially over. At its Google I/O conference on Tuesday, Google unveiled an AI-powered overhaul of Search centered around a reimagined “intelligent search box” – what the…
https://techcrunch.com/2026/05/19/google-search-as-you-know-it-is-over/
Ahead of Google’s annual developer conference on Tuesday, Apple announced several new accessibility updates powered by Apple Intelligence to features like VoiceOver, voice control, live recognition, and real-time caption generation for videos. The company also said that Vision Pro users will be able to control a compatible wheelchair with their eyes using this update.
https://techcrunch.com/2026/05/19/apple-announces-apple-intelligence-powered-accessibility-feature-updates/
Google is announcing a new line of laptops coming in the fall called Googlebooks. Details are sparse for now, as the tease is just a small part of various Android announcements during Google’s Android Show. But we do know this is a major new initiative in the laptop space for Google, seemingly designed to succeed Chromebooks with something more capable: a platform running a long-rumored new operating system based on a fusion of Android and ChromeOS.
https://www.theverge.com/tech/928479/google-googlebook-laptops-android-tease-aluminium-chromebook
Instagram announced on Wednesday that it’s globally launching “Instants,” a new feature for sharing authentic, disappearing photos after testing it with select users. Unlike Instagram, which is about curated and polished content, Instants is designed for quick, real-life snapshots. With Instants, you capture a photo with Instagram’s in-app camera and aren’t allowed to edit the image. The format doesn’t allow uploads from your camera, and, although you can add text to your “instants,” you can’t modify them any further. Meta said in a blog post that the idea behind this format is to share authentic moments as they’re happening.
https://techcrunch.com/2026/05/13/instagrams-new-instants-feature-combines-elements-from-snapchat-and-bereal/