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Apps

Apps
The latest news, analysis and opinion on Apps. In-depth analysis, industry insights and expert opinion.
The Timeshifter app focuses on resetting the circadian rhythm using light and dark scenarios and calculates a personal schedule based on your itinerary and whether you are a “night owl” or “early bird”. It is one of many apps of the market designed to help people get over jet lag. Photo: timeshifter.com
Wellness

Hate jet lag? How fliers are using apps to beat the common travel trouble

Flying across time zones disrupts your circadian rhythm, which affects functioning and even long-term health. But apps could help.

Artificial intelligence

Tencent expands OpenClaw suite with enterprise tool amid China’s ‘lobster’ craze

United States

New York Mayor Mamdani puts city’s government back on TikTok

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DeepSeek

‘I no longer knew how to work without it’: DeepSeek outage cuts off millions

Chinese AI start-up restores chatbot service by Monday morning after overnight disruption affects millions of users.

DeepSeek issued fixes between 1am and 9am on Monday. Photo: Xinhua
Social media

Video | Indonesia bans social media for under 16s

Authorities say the move aims to protect children and young teens against addiction, abuse and exposure to harmful content.

Hong Kong society

Google’s Gemini AI app debuts in Hong Kong

Tech giant’s chatbot service tops Apple’s app store chart in the city.

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United States

Meta and Google liable for damages in landmark US addiction trial

Jury orders US$6 million payout to a young woman, a verdict that could affect thousands of similar cases against tech companies.

Parents who say they have lost their children due to social media hold up a banner with names outside the court. Photo: Reuters
Hong Kong society

More websites, mobile apps for children collecting personal data: study

Global investigation examined 876 websites and mobile apps designed specifically for children across multiple sectors.

Social media

Meta ordered to pay US$375 million in New Mexico child safety trial

Meta said it would challenge the decision after a jury found the social media giant liable for endangering minors.

Artificial intelligence

Tencent adds ClawBot plug-in to WeChat amid OpenClaw boom and privacy warnings

With over 1 billion users, WeChat becomes Tencent’s biggest OpenClaw campaign, bringing into focus opportunity and regulatory caution.

Tencent is seeking to capitalise on the OpenClaw craze. Photo: Reuters
Apple

Apple’s Tim Cook visits China as reliance on Chinese suppliers endures

Cook shows up at an Apple Store in Chengdu as part of the company’s 50th anniversary celebrations.

Apple CEO Tim Cook interacted with celebrities and customers at an Apple Store in Chengdu on Wednesday. Photo: Weibo
Hong Kong society

‘AI may know me better’: why Hongkongers turn to chatbots for mental health help

Survey reveals growing trend of residents seeking help from AI to deal with emotional stress.

Wellness

She didn’t ignore her brain fog – now she’s helping others with perimenopause

Femtech pioneers are tackling perimenopause with bold new tools, breaking long-standing taboos and empowering women.

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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Illustration: Henry Wong
Apple

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

Move has ‘long-term constructive significance for the overall prosperity of China’s mobile app ecosystem’, gaming company NetEase says.

People look at Apple phones in a store in the Huangpu district of Shanghai on January 20, 2026. Photo: AFP
Artificial intelligence

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

OpenClaw captivates Chinese users, aiding in stock trading, daily tasks and even dating, despite concerns over costs and data reliability.

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.

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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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OpenClaw has gained global traction for its ability to perform tasks on a user’s behalf, such as organising and responding to emails, drafting work reports and preparing slide decks. Photo: Xinhua
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.

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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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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The lawsuit argues that US President Donald Trump’s approval of the TikTok deal violates requirements ​set out in a 2024 divestiture law. Photo illustration: Reuters
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.

Jingyi Ma, the Beijing-born, New York-based creative technologist behind the Feng Shui Calendar Widget. Ma says her almanac app for iPhone is about passing down “something old and physical” in a world where “no one buys paper goods any more”. Photo: courtesy of Jingyi Ma
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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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.

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.

The OpenAI logo is seen against a ChatGPT-generated image on a computer screen. Photo: AP
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.

Baidu reported revenue of 32.74 billion yuan for the fourth quarter. Photo: AFP
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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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.

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