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Apps
The latest news, analysis and opinion on Apps. In-depth analysis, industry insights and expert opinion.
Taobao design award
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.

Ant Group

Ant International launches AI overhaul to automate global financial operations

ByteDance

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

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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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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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TikTok has faced mounting regulatory scrutiny around the world over child safety, age verification and the collection and use of young users’ data. Photo: TNS
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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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.

Xiaowei sits inside an ecosystem where messaging, payments and millions of mini-programs have already coexisted for years. Photo: Shutterstock Images
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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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.

An art installation in Los Angeles highlights the dangers young people face online. Meta has been ordered by a US judge to pay US$567 million over child safety harms. Photo: AFP
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.

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.

The Ant Group booth at the World Artificial Intelligence Conference in Shanghai on July 17, 2026. Photo: Reuters
Russia

Russia charges Telegram founder with aiding terror, issues wanted alert

FSB accuses app administration of enabling acts of sabotage and cyberfraud by Ukrainian forces.

Trending in China

China teen wins praise for developing app to remind grandpa to take daily medication

With plans to relocate to another city for university in September, Ma worries about his grandfather managing alone, especially as he lives independently.

Wellness

How infinite scrolling hijacks the brain’s reward system like slot machines do

Two experts explain what infinite scrolling does to the brain, why teens are particularly affected, and how to beat the addiction.

The core mechanism of infinite scrolling is similar to slot machines, one expert says, and teens are often hit hardest because the “brake system” in their brains is still maturing. Photo: Fernando Gutierrez-Juarez/dpa
Chinese culture

Can this AI-powered Chinese astrology platform shake up the industry?

Singapore-based astrologer Sean Chan trained Tian Qi on over 9,000 of his own consultations. But not all his peers are so keen on using AI.

Singapore-based astrology Sean Chan uses his AI-powered Chinese metaphysics reading platform Tian Qi. Photo: courtesy of Sean Chan
France

France parliament approves social media ban for children under 15, in EU first

The bill also includes a ban on mobile phones in high schools, expected to take effect from the beginning of the next school year.

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Good Schools Guide

Hong Kong schools are using tech to reshape teen mental health support

Digital ‘third spaces’ are being tested to make mental health support feel more accessible for Gen Alpha – but what can and cannot be replaced by tech?

South Korea

Beggar’s banquet: South Korea’s viral app helps youth find cheap meals

South Korea’s youth unemployment rate reached 7.4 per cent in the first quarter of 2026 – the highest since 2021.

People walk through a food alley in Seoul, South Korea, on June 27. Photo: AFP
Artificial intelligence

China’s StepFun beats Apple and OpenAI to ‘world’s first AI phone’

Tencent-backed firm launches the AI-native StepX Neo smartphone, challenging US tech giants amid Apple-OpenAI legal clashes.

Tencent Holdings-backed StepFun introduced the StepX Neo in Shanghai on Monday, which it claims to be the world's first agentic smartphone. Photo: Weibo
European Union

EU demands ‘youth mode’ to protect children from addictive social media features

The addictive features include infinite scroll, autoplay, push notifications and highly personalised recommender systems.

Indonesia

‘Grading own homework’: is Indonesia outsourcing online safety to tech giants?

Without a regulator, Indonesia’s child online safety rules require digital platforms to assess and remove underage accounts themselves.

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