Apps

Facebook CEO could have swayed US government’s opinion against TikTok

Zuckerberg used last year’s meeting with Trump to raise issues against TikTok

Published

August 25, 2020

Kenrick Buduan

Recent trips to Washington by Facebook CEO — Mark Zuckerberg — could have swayed the US government’s opinion against TikTok and other Chinese companies, a new report by The Wall Street Journal claims.

The report details how Zuckerberg used private meetings with US government officials to sway the issue from Facebook to Chinese-made apps like TikTok. Last Fall, Zuckerberg made trips to Washington where he raised the issue against Chinese tech companies. During a visit to Georgetown University, he claimed that these companies don’t share Facebook’s commitment to American values — specifically, freedom of expression.

Later on, Zuckerberg would meet with US President Donald Trump and other officials. During these meetings, the Facebook CEO would make the case that Chinese tech companies pose a much bigger concern than Facebook. These meetings come at a time when government officials are investigating Facebook for privacy and security concerns.

The fallout from these meetings became apparent in late October. Two American senators — Sen. Tom Cotton and Sen. Chuck Schumer — wrote a letter to intelligence officials demanding an inquiry into TikTok. Soon after, the US government began a security assessment of the app. Threats by Donald Trump soon followed. Now, the app is facing a total ban in the US if its parent company — ByteDance — fails to sell its US operations.

Protecting Facebook’s image

All those meetings could have also been interpreted as the company’s move to sway officials and to blunt concerns about Facebook’s issues. A spokesperson for Facebook — Andy Stone — claims that Zuckerberg’s remark in Washington is part of a bigger concern about Chinese influence in America.

“As Chinese companies and influence have been growing so has the risk of a global internet based on their values, as opposed to ours,” Mr. Stone said in a written statement.

It is clear also that Facebook sees TikTok as its potential rival. TikTok has seen a dramatic rise over the recent years, threatening Facebook’s user base. In response, Facebook launched Reels, an Instagram feature designed to sway TikTok users. Just recently, it made plans to acquire Dubsmash, a fledgling rival that saw some popularity back in 2015.

In response, TikTok’s parent company accused Facebook of plagiarism and smears. ByteDance CEO Kevin Mayer urged the social networking giant to focus on fair competition rather than “maligning attacks” which is “disguised as patriotism and designed to put an end to our very presence in the U.S.”

The company has also prepared a lawsuit against the US government. Clearly, ByteDance has a long way to go before it can wiggle out of the complex issues it is facing today.

Related Topics:Bytedance Donald Trump Facebook TikTok

Apps

YouTube makes picture-in-picture mode free for everyone globally

The update is rolling out globally now.

Published

April 30, 2026

Luigi Leonardo

Picture-in-picture (or PiP) mode is a godsend for multitaskers. The feature lets users watch videos in a tiny floating window while doing other tasks. However, the feature isn’t readily available for all users. Or wasn’t, at least. YouTube is now rolling out PiP mode for free globally.

Previously, PiP mode was exclusive to YouTube users who pay for Premium or Premium Lite. It was also exclusive to the United States.

Now, YouTube is making the feature completely free for users all over the globe. It will be available for both iOS and Android versions of the app.

There’s still a catch, though. The free version is available only for “longform, non-music content.” The same goes for Premium Lite subscribers. Music is still an exclusive feature for those who pay for the regular version of Premium. Basically, there is no change for paying users or users in the United States.

Using PiP mode is simple. All you need to do is load up a video you want to watch in the background. Then, just exit the YouTube app and go about your other tasks. The video will be inside a floating, resizable window while you look at other things.

There’s no timeline on when the update will reach your device. However, YouTube has promised that it will roll out globally within the coming months.

Apps

Google might be moving away from flat design

Bye bye, Material Design.

Published

April 27, 2026

Luigi Leonardo

It’s time to kindly shove off, flat design. After over a decade of Google’s Material Design, Android is finally showing signs of ditching flat, monotonous colors. In a series of logo redesigns, Google is reportedly trying out gradients as its latest reinvention.

As spotted by 9to5Google, Google is moving forward with incorporating gradients into its designs. Previously, the company started changing the icons of a few first-party apps including Photos and Maps. Now, it seems that the new design philosophy will reach the rest of Google’s suite.

In the obtained designs, the rest of Google’s plethora of apps will no longer look static. The splash of gradient adds the feeling of layering without losing the company’s roots in flat design. Docs and Sheets, for example, look like a light shining on pieces of paper.

Image source: 9to5Google

It’s unknown when Google plans to incorporate the new philosophy. However, with Google I/O coming fast, it’s fair to bet that an update might come out around that time, especially since that event’s logo already has gradients.

Google’s evolution is not without its precedent. Besides the company’s small trial previously, Apple’s iOS has also made inroads into more three-dimensional designs with the new Liquid Glass. However, unlike Apple, Google’s newest design is a far cry from the former’s return to Windows Vista aesthetics.

Personally, I don’t mind the transition to 3D, as long as it’s done well. Though still visually pleasing, flat design has started overstaying its welcome. It’s time to try something new.

Apps

Significantly better ChatGPT Images 2.0 launches

Stronger creative reasoning, better design output, more formats, improved overall experience

Published

April 22, 2026

GadgetMatch

OpenAI has launched ChatGPT Images 2.0. This updated image generation model has a meaningful jump over competitors and its current ImageGen 1.5.

Now available across ChatGPT, Codex and the API, Images 2.0 delivers stronger creative reasoning, better design output, more flexible formats, and a faster, more intuitive user experience.

Paid users (Plus, Pro, Business, and Enterprise) will benefit from a more advanced image experience (ImageGen Thinking 2.0). The state-of-the-art model can take on complex visual tasks and produce precise and immediately usable visuals.

ChatGPT Images 2.0 is likewise better for creative and professional use cases. It has a significantly better performance at producing text-heavy assets, infographics, product mockups, UI concepts, and more structured visuals.

Moreover, users can generate images in a wider range of aspect ratios. The outputs are limitless, from posters to comics or anime to detailed infographics to simple images. API users, on the other hand, will also have access to 4K resolution.

To try the upgraded image generation model, simply head to ChatGPT and select “Images” in the sidebar.

Users will be able to see the top five prompts as well, curated by OpenAI, for them to try. This is to highlight the capabilities of the new model.

Overall, ChatGPT Images 2.0 offers a more seamless experience on mobile, web, and desktop. The intuitive user experience includes improved prompt suggestions, loading states, editing features, and multi-output views.