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Apps
The latest news, analysis and opinion on Apps. In-depth analysis, industry insights and expert opinion.
Illustration: Henry Wong
OpenClaw

Inside the OpenClaw AI mania in China, as security fears and enthusiasm surge

Appeal of autonomous AI agent spurs rapid adoption across country, from tech pros to retirees seeking a ‘digital staff’, but data wipes mar its rise and trigger warnings.

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Apple

Apple reduces App Store commissions in China, to applause from Tencent, NetEase

Artificial intelligence

OpenClaw is all the rage in China right now. Here’s why

Gun violence in the US

Perplexity, Meta AIs named ‘least safe’ after helping researchers plot attacks

ChatGPT, DeepSeek, Meta AI, Gemini and others suggested ‘locations to target’ and ‘weapons’ to use to researchers posing as 13-year-old boys.

A woman visits a makeshift memorial to shooting victims in Tumbler Ridge, British Columbia, Canada, in February. Photo: Reuters
Artificial intelligence

China issues new safety rules for OpenClaw. Here are the dos and don’ts

Authorities outline six dos and six don’ts for OpenClaw users, warning of risks amid an adoption frenzy.

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Artificial intelligence

Chinese tech giants offer cheap, easy access to OpenClaw amid ‘lobster fever’

Shares of Hong Kong-listed MiniMax and Zhipu AI surge after launching OpenClaw tools.

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Canada

TikTok gets green light to stay in Canada, reversing earlier ban

The app, owned by China’s ByteDance, has agreed to improve privacy and security, and to enhance protections for minors.

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TikTok Technology Canada will now be allowed to operate under new legally binding commitments to enhance its security. Photo illustration: dpa
US-China relations

Trump sued in bid to undo approval of TikTok’s US sale

The lawsuit is the first legal challenge to the deal with China’s ByteDance, but does not seek to force a US ban on the short-video platform.

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Chinese culture

A Gen Z take on the Chinese almanac? Grandma’s tear-off calendar goes digital

Feng Shui Calendar Widget developer Jingyi Ma reveals why her digital version of the Chinese almanac is about more than finding auspicious dates.

South Korea

South Korea to finally get fully functioning Google Maps

The move will appease Washington that has urged security-conscious Seoul to tackle what it says is discrimination against US tech companies.

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A woman poses for photographs from an observation deck at N Seoul Tower in Seoul, South Korea. South Korea had shot down Google’s previous bids in 2007 and 2016 to be allowed to export the data, citing the risks that information ‌about sensitive military and security facilities could be exposed. Photo: Reuters
Google

Video | Google finally allowed to export South Korea map data

Google must process map data on locally based servers and can only export data that have been pre-approved by the government.

People walk past stalls at a street market in Seoul on September 3, 2025. (Photo by ANTHONY WALLACE / AFP)
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Australia

Australia mulls forcing app stores, search engines to axe unsafe AI services

From March 9, internet services that do not restrict users under 18 from receiving pornography, violence or self-harm content will be fined.

Baidu

Baidu touts AI chips’ potential amid sluggish fourth quarter

Revenue from the company’s AI-related business for the December quarter rises 48 per cent year on year to more than US$1.6 billion.

Singapore

As Deliveroo leaves Singapore, spotlight turns on city state’s tight market

The platform’s departure has underscored the challenge of turning a profit in a dense, tightly contested market.

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A Deliveroo rider in Lai Chi Kok, Hong Kong, in 2025. The UK-founded food delivery platform has been scaling back in parts of Asia in recent years, including Hong Kong, as competition intensifies in the region. Photo: Sam Tsang
Artificial intelligence

AI apps soar in China as Lunar New Year giveaway battle boosts user growth

Tech firms score win as AI assistants become part of holiday consumption – from buying food and booking travel to planning entertainment.

Alibaba’s AI app Qwen saw nearly 200 million orders placed during the holiday period. Photo: Reuters
Ant Group

Ant’s AQ health app tops 100 million users amid holiday surge

Growth comes as China’s ageing population fuels demand for AI-assisted health monitoring tools.

Social media

Are you addicted to social media, is it a problem and what can you do about it?

Social media addiction is not officially registered as a mental illness, but it affects adults and children. Here are tips on cutting down.

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Germany

Germany’s ruling party seeks social media ban for children aged below 14

Spain, Greece, France, Britain and other countries are looking at similar social media bans or curbs.

Social media apps displayed on a mobile phone. Germany’s ruling party has called for fines against online platforms that fail to enforce social media curbs for children. Photo: Reuters
United States

Meta’s Zuckerberg grilled in landmark social media addiction trial

The 41-year-old Meta CEO admits regret over slow youth safety progress in a high-stakes California lawsuit.

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Style Edit

Style Edit: Lane Crawford’s beauty rewards are gifts you’ll actually want

Elevate your self-care with Lane Crawford’s HK$8.8M Beauty Rewards Programme and redeem products from brands like Skit and Tom Ford Beauty.

Artificial intelligence

ByteDance ‘strengthening safeguards’ after Seedance AI video controversy

Pledge comes after Hollywood, governments speak out against tool amid deluge of video clips featuring celebrities, copyrighted characters.

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Characters from Star Wars, a Disney property, are among the copyrighted material the Seedance tool can purportedly produce. Photo: Reuters
Meituan

Meituan warns of US$3.5 billion loss amid intense food delivery price war

Food delivery giant expects losses to continue into at least the first quarter of 2026 ‘due to ongoing competition’.

A Meituan drone for food delivery takes off from a drone delivery camp near Shenzhen Bay Park. Photo: VCG/VCG via Getty Images
Artificial intelligence

Alibaba’s Qwen tops 120 million orders in 6 days amid China’s AI shopping battle

Campaign has sparked a behavioural shift towards AI-powered shopping, which Alibaba says is becoming a more popular lifestyle choice.

ByteDance

ByteDance joins Chinese rivals offering freebies in bid to acquire AI app users

TikTok parent plans to give more than 100,000 tech products as gifts, as well as red packets through lucky draws on the Doubao app.

United States

California court begins social media trial amid mental health concerns

The case ‌will determine whether Instagram and YouTube harmed a woman’s mental health through addictive app design, testing Big Tech’s liability.

Parents who lost children to social media-related harms hold a vigil ahead of a social media addiction trial, in Los Angeles, California, US on Thursday. Photo: Reuters
Artificial intelligence

ByteDance’s new model sparks stock rally as China’s AI video battle escalates

Seedance 2.0 thrills early adopters with cinematic realism and fuels debate over AI’s role in filmmaking and content creation.

A Seedance 2.0 video capture. Seedance 2.0 delivers enhanced lifelike generations that blur the boundary between AI content and reality, according to early adopters. Photo: Handout
Sex and relationships

Why dating in Hong Kong is so hard and how people spend thousands on agencies

Hong Kong matchmakers share how they’re helping people find love in a city where everyone is both extremely busy and wants a younger partner.

Artificial intelligence

Sweet surge: Qwen overtakes Yuanbao after Alibaba’s bubble tea campaign

More than 10 million free orders put Alibaba’s AI app in the spotlight amid a high-stakes battle for Spring Festival attention.

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