Apps

Facebook now allows you to call others “ugly”

Or refer to transgenders as “it” and women as property

Published

January 8, 2025

Luigi Leonardo

Despite how old Facebook is, content moderation remains a thorny topic for those constantly online on the platform. Formerly just a place to share memes and connect with one another, the social media platforms is now a host to belligerent misinformation and conflict making. As the world of information evolves, Meta has updated its content policies going forward… but it might not be for the better.

No more fact-checking

Through a brief video message, Mark Zuckerberg enumerated a few changes coming to the popular platform. Citing the effects of the recently concluded U.S. presidential elections, Meta is loosening its policies regarding what you can and can’t post on Facebook.

Most importantly, Facebook will stop employing a fact-checking team. Instead, the platform will use Community Notes, identical to X’s new approach to censorship. For the uninitiated, X’s Community Notes system relies on user contributions to spot inconsistencies and errors. Think crowdsourced like Wikipedia.

For the most part, the system does work. Some even lead to humorous notes pointing out glaring mistakes easily rectified by a Google search. However, it almost feels like Facebook (and X, for that matter) washing their hands clean of any responsibility for misinformation on the platform.

As Zuckerberg says, “fact-checkers have just been too politically biased.” He claims that the old system caused more harm than good. Similar to X’s own statements, Zuckerberg refuses to become an “arbiter of truth,” instead choosing to democratize free speech. One has to wonder how Zuckerberg decided that the general populace is less politically biased than a fact-checking team he can personally vet for biases.

Free speech over censorship

Coinciding with the new Community Notes system, Zuckerberg also announced new content policies to moderate the platform. The generalities are the same: hateful conduct is still a no-no. However, the definition of what constitutes hateful conduct are less specific.

For example, while the policy continues to prohibit comparing minorities to animals, the changed form curiously deletes certain rules about comparing them to inanimate objects. Under the new policy, users can technically treat women as property or refer to transgender people as “it.”

Though one can argue that the general rule still covers these examples as hateful conduct, a recent addition to the policy is more damning. It reads:

‘We do allow allegations of mental illness or abnormality when based on gender or sexual orientation, given political and religious discourse about transgenderism and homosexuality and common non-serious usage of words like “weird.”’

The platform also allows discussions on whether military, law enforcement, and school applications should be limited based on gender. In the United States, gender-based discussions remain rampant with some states debating the legality of barring transgender people from institutions. Facebook’s latest additions are suspiciously contiguous with the new administration.

To be fair, some changes do make some sort of sense. The policy, for example, deletes a dedicated clause dealing specifically with COVID-19. More humorously, it also allows users to call each other ugly or hideous.

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.