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Apps
The latest news, analysis and opinion on Apps. In-depth analysis, industry insights and expert opinion.
Alibaba Group Holding’s Amap navigation app has nearly 1 billion monthly users. Photo: Handout
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

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Social media

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

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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A customer makes a payment through the Unified Payments Interface at a shop in Srinagar, Indian Kashmir, on September 16. Photo: EPA
Paytm payment QR codes are displayed at a vegetable shop in Mumbai, India, on Sunday. Photo: Reuters
A payment QR code is displayed at a snack shop in Mumbai, India, on Sunday. Photo: Reuters
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.

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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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People hold photos of children and young adults whose deaths were related to social media use, as Meta faces a landmark trial in Oakland, California, on Tuesday. Photo: Reuters
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.

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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.

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.

Telegram co-founder Pavel Durov. Photo: AFP
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.

Ma Kai's app aims to ensure his grandfather takes his medications on time and avoids expired drugs. Photo: SCMP composite/Shutterstock/QQ.com
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.

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.

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