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Apps
The latest news, analysis and opinion on Apps. In-depth analysis, industry insights and expert opinion.
A smartphone screen displaying icons of several social media platforms. Photo: NurPhoto/Getty Images
India

India’s proposed social media ban for under-18s wins parents’ backing

Lawyers, however, advise against a sweeping ban, saying children could benefit from access to online educational content.

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Singapore

From public service to private romance: can a Singapore app engineer love?

Asean

Southeast Asia battles Big Tech to protect children online

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Artificial intelligence

More than half of China’s population is now using generative AI: report

Nearly half of users employ AI tools to process images or videos, while 38 per cent use it for text processing and 33 per cent for work notes.

Visitors line-up for a free gift at an AI booth during the Chinese International Supply Chain Expo in Beijing on June 26, 2026. Photo: Getty Images
Alibaba

China’s answer to Google Maps now tells you where local taxi drivers eat lunch

Amap is harnessing AI to offer an array of new features, from 3D maps of indoor spaces to hyper-specific restaurant recommendations.

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China travel

Before Apec meeting, China’s mobile-payment overhaul is helping foreigners spend

Smartphone apps such as Alipay and WeChat Pay now link foreign cards and wallets, easing a cashless barrier that has long frustrated international visitors.

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Social media

TikTok settles lawsuit with Alabama for at least US$100m, to apply safety steps

Alabama has claimed TikTok’s algorithm pushes young users towards increasingly intense content about violence and self-harm.

The logo of video app TikTok seen at the company’s office in Culver City, Los Angeles. Photo: AFP
An illustration of rhe TikTok app icon on a mobile phone. Photo: Reuters
India

What can Asia, Global South learn from India’s new digital payment fee?

The roll-out is a good test of whether the system can generate enough revenue to pay for its own maintenance and expansion, experts say.

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Tencent

Tencent launches payment app for foreign visitors ahead of Apec summit

The app allows overseas visitors to make payments across WeChat Pay’s network using foreign cards and digital wallets.

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Fashion

Beyond Phoebe Gates’ Phia: 5 female-owned fashion-tech apps to know

From Indyx and By Rotation to SSQRD, these apps help you organise your wardrobe, rent clothes and discover indie brands at the tap of a button.

(From left) Beyond Phoebe Gates – Nabihah Ahmad and Eshita Kabra-Davies are among the many female founders also making a splash in the world of fashion and tech. Photos: @phoebegates; @nabihah.ahmad; @arentyoueshita/Instagram
China’s private sector

Top French Design Award given to €20 uniform design for China’s delivery drivers

Developed with the assistance of Jack Ma, designers aimed to bestow dignity on the drivers, an ‘important profession’, the lead designer says.

Taobao design award
Ant Group

Ant International launches AI overhaul to automate global financial operations

The new suite features accounts tailored for AI agents, allowing users to delegate specific tasks without relinquishing account control.

ByteDance

How ByteDance’s AI-enhanced short-drama app leapfrogged Chinese streaming giants

Acknowledging format’s popularity, award-winning director Jia Zhangke defends short dramas as valid art that can move audiences.

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European Union

EU to propose curbing social media, online games for under 15s

The European Commission has come under pressure from some EU member states to take bloc-wide measures to protect children.

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A teenager looks at her smartphone in Brussels. The EU already has powerful laws to protect children including the content rules known as the Digital Services Act. Photo: AFP
Artificial intelligence

China is beating the US in consumer AI adoption, thanks to super apps: report

While the US has a lead in frontier AI, China’s advantage stems from distributing services through platforms tailored to local habits.

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The paid version of ByteDance’s Doubao app. Photo: CFOTO/Future Publishing/Getty Images
Artificial intelligence

‘Slop’ purge: Chinese watchdog scrubs millions of harmful AI posts

Clampdown sweeps across 2,400 websites and apps as cyberspace watchdog escalates fight against generative tech abuse.

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China-Latin America relations

Brazil fines TikTok record US$30 million for profiting from children’s data

ByteDance penalised for allegedly collecting data from 1 in 5 Brazilian children and failing to block minors from using TikTok.

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US-China relations

TikTok, ByteDance agree to US$400 million settlement with US government

TikTok will pay US$300 million immediately and an additional US$100 million after entering an order vacating a prior consent decree.

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The US Justice Department and TikTok reached a US$400 million settlement to resolve allegations that the social-media company violated laws meant to protect children’s online privacy rights. Photo: AFP/Getty Images/TNS
United States

Meta accused at trial of targeting kids to boost Facebook and Instagram use

A bipartisan group of 29 states is suing the company, seeking potentially tens or hundreds of billions of dollars in penalties.

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Artificial intelligence

24 hours with Tencent’s WeChat AI agent: successes and stumbles

The new Xiaowei agent promises hands-free control across WeChat’s vast digital ecosystem. I set out to see whether it delivers.

Honor

Robot in a pocket: Honor’s new phone camera nods back at users

The Chinese smartphone maker has integrated embodied AI to control camera movement, along with other features to boost interest amid a cooling market.

Chinese smartphone maker Honor has launched the Robot Phone, a handset with a motorised, fold-out gimbal camera. Photo: Handout
US-China relations

US lifts TikTok ban on government devices after ByteDance restructuring

Justice Department says the app’s new US joint venture is no longer covered by the 2022 prohibition targeting app’s Chinese parent company.

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The restructuring saved TikTok from a US ban imposed over concerns about American user data and its ties to China. Photo: AFP
United States

US court rules tech firms must face lawsuits over social media addiction

The lawsuits allege that companies including TikTok and Meta intentionally addicted young users, contributing to a ⁠mental health crisis.

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United States

Meta ordered in US to pay US$567 million to address child safety harms

Company says it will appeal after a New Mexico judge directs funds to youth mental health programmes and orders app changes.

Artificial intelligence

AI | Will AI healthcare be China’s new global growth engine?

Artificial intelligence models and apps that help doctors in China diagnose disease and patients understand their health could be an export gold mine.

Will AI healthcare be China’s new global growth engine?
Good Schools Guide

Are Hong Kong schools equipped to tackle deepfake sexual abuse?

Deepfake apps can produce sexualised fake images within minutes, and child-protection experts are urging schools and families to take this seriously.

Image-based abuse can be much more than a prank, experts say. Photo: Getty Images
US-China relations

Trump nominee vows to sharpen US media challenge to China

Sarah Rogers says Asia would remain a priority for US-funded broadcasters, despite continuing turmoil and reduced operations at the agency.

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Ant Group

Ant Group spin-offs pursue independent growth with strategic capital moves

The Chinese fintech giant’s three spin-off units are accelerating their capital-raising efforts after gaining operational autonomy in 2024.

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