Tech Roundup: Google Search Ask for Me, X Money Account & More

[A recurring feature on the latest in Science & Technology.]

• Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg says he wants to make Facebook "way more culturally influential than it is today" and that he is focused on returning to "OG Facebook" in 2025; claims the company was slow to respond to TikTok's rise because "we didn't think TikTok was social."
• VPN service NordVPN debuts a new protocol called NordWhisper that it claims to "allow users to connect to VPN servers from networks that usually limit traditional VPN traffic"; says it "it blends in with ordinary internet activity, providing users with a reliable way to browse on restricted networks while maintaining the same strong encryption and security as other VPN protocols."
• OpenAI is reportedly estimated to have 15.5 million paid subscribers for ChatGPT in 2024, up from 5.8 million in 2023; responds to DeepSeek's R1 with an improved and cost-effective o3-mini reasoning model for all ChatGPT users, and launches ChatGPT Gov for U.S. government use.
• Microsoft creates the Advanced Planning Unit within its Microsoft AI division to help the company understand the societal, health, and work implications of artificial intelligence; adds a Copilot feature within its Paint app for Windows to help users remove objects from images or create new images.
• Microsoft-owned LinkedIn says short-form video is its fastest-growing content category, with total video viewership growing 36% YoY between October 2024 and January 2025; steps in to remove at least two accounts that were created for AI "co-workers" whose profile images said they were "#OpenToWork," stating it's a violation of its policies.
• Indian smartphone market's revenue rises 9% YoY in 2024, with shipments up 1% YoY to 153 million units; Nothing becomes the fastest-growing brand, growing 577% YoY, with vivo, Xiaomi, Samsung, OPPO and realme leading in terms of market share. (According to data from Canalys, China smartphone shipments rose 4% YoY to 285 million units in 2024, with vivo up 11% to a 17% market share, Huawei up 37% to 16%, and Apple down 17% to 15%.)
• Google's YouTube expands its Community feature to more creators on the site, and rolls out the ability to watch videos at 4x speed; draws criticism after it's found serving a sexually explicit ad to a 7-year-old child.
• Apple agrees to pay US$ 20 million to resolve a class-action lawsuit that was filed in 2019 over battery swelling on the Apple Watch; denies any wrongdoing or that the "watches experienced any issues related to battery swell."
• Microsoft makes OpenAI's o1 model, branded as "Think Deeper," free for all Copilot users, after launching o1 in October 2024 as a paid Copilot Pro feature; unveils Intel-powered, Copilot+ PCs Surface Pro 11 and Surface Laptop 7 for businesses.
• Apple's Services division hits record revenues of US$ 26.3 billion for the quarter ending December 2024, up 14% YoY; says there are now more than 2.35 billion active Apple devices worldwide, up from 2.2B devices the company reported in February 2024.
• Google adds "Ask for me" to Search, which uses AI to call businesses to inquire about availability and pricing, starting with nail salons and auto shops in the U.S.
• Meta's Threads adds a dedicated media tab globally for photos and video and adds options to let users tag people in photos, days after X and Bluesky added video tabs; tests a pause feature with a small group of users on Instagram Reels.
• Mistral launches Small 3, a latency-optimised 24B-parameter model that it says is competitive with larger models such as Llama 3.3 70B or Qwen 32B.
• Meta reportedly sells more than 1 million Ray-Ban smart glasses in 2024, revealing the product's sales figures for the first time.
• X announces X Money Account, a digital wallet and peer-to-peer payments service with Visa as its launch partner; set for launch later this year.
• Music streamer Spotify says it paid out a record US$ 10 billion to the music industry in 2024, up from a then-record US$ 9B in 2023, taking its total to nearly $60B since its 2006 founding.
• Apple announces a new API called Advanced Commerce to expand in-app purchase capabilities on the App Store, providing developers with new ways to support large content catalogs, creator-driven experiences, and customisable subscription models.
• Vodafone makes "the world's first" satellite video call using a standard smartphone via SpaceMobile satellites; to launch the service in Europe in 2025.
• Microsoft updates Windows 11 to allow iPhone users to access their devices directly from the Start menu, bringing feature parity with its existing Android phone integration.
• The U.S. Commerce Department adds 25 China-based companies, including Alibaba-backed LLM developer Zhipu AI and chip designer Sophgo, to its restricted trade list.
• India removes import duties on some components for making smartphones, in a boost for local production efforts and benefiting companies like Apple and Xiaomi.
• Encrypted messaging app Session moves its operations outside of Australia after the country's federal law enforcement agency visited an employee’s residence and asked them questions about the app and a particular user, highlighting the increasing pressure on maintainers of encrypted messaging apps when it comes to governments seeking more data on app users.
• OpenAI admits that DeepSeek has lessened OpenAI's lead; says OpenAI has been "on the wrong side of history" in terms of open sourcing its technology, and that it's considering open sourcing older models that aren't state-of-the-art anymore.