Google has launched Search Live with voice-input, a two-way conversational query function for exploring online resources. Presently available via the Google app for Android and iOS to U.S. users enrolled in Google Labs’ AI Mode experiment, Search Live is designed to handle complex, multi-part questions. Google suggests the new feature is “perfect for when you’re on the go or multitasking, like if you’re packing for a trip.” The discursive voice feature follows Google’s general rollout of AI Mode, recently launched to compete against products such as OpenAI’s ChatGPT Search and Perplexity AI. Continue reading Google Search Live Features Conversational Voice Capability

The redesigned Firefly AI app Adobe released in April with third-party model support is now available on iOS and Android. Text-to-video and background editing are among the features included in the new mobile package, which Adobe claims will help users capture inspiration as it strikes with “the freedom to generate images and videos wherever you are.” Adobe says those of all skill levels will be able to use the app, which was designed “to complement the ways we already interact with our phones.” The company is also rolling out its AI-powered online moodboard creator — Firefly Boards — in public beta, now with video functionality. Continue reading Adobe Unveils Firefly Generative AI App for iOS and Android

Adobe has released a camera app called Project Indigo that makes smartphone cameras more “SLR-like,” with “full manual controls, a more natural look and the highest image quality that computational photography can provide — in both JPEG and raw formats.” The Project Indigo app is available free, for now, on iOS from Adobe Labs, which quietly announced the product on its research website. The app aims to leverage a decade’s worth of advances in computational photography to help mobile photographers improve low-light and high dynamic range (HDR) image capture. Continue reading Adobe Project Indigo iOS App Improves Smartphone Photos

Snapchat is offering experimental augmented reality and generative AI tools through its new Lens Studio iOS app and web tool. According to the company, “you can generate your own AI effects, add your dancing Bitmoji to the fun, and express yourself with Lenses that reflect your mood or an inside joke.” The app responds to text prompts, producing filters that can be published to Snapchat. Snap previously offered generative AI capabilities only to professional creators as part of its Lens Studio. The company has also launched an app that lets users read and reply to messages using their Apple Watch. For professional developers, Snap’s Lens Studio has added tools to build Bitmoji games. Continue reading GenAI Powers Snapchat Tools for Creating AR Lenses, Bitmoji

Microsoft’s Bing mobile search app for Android and iOS is adding a free Bing Video Creator feature powered by OpenAI’s Sora. Text-to-video model Sora was previously available only by subscription through ChatGPT Plus for $20 per month or the $200 monthly ChatGPT Pro. The integration will enable creation of five-second vertical video clips on mobile, with horizontal capability coming soon. Although a major investor in OpenAI, Microsoft has made headway with its own signature AI offerings, including Bing Image Creator and the Copilot AI assistant. The Bing Mobile app is available worldwide via the App Store for iOS and the Play Store for Android. Continue reading Microsoft Debuts Mobile Bing Video Creator Powered by Sora

Google has quietly released the AI Edge Gallery app, which lets users download models and run them locally without Internet connectivity. Available for Android and eventually on iOS, the experimental app is hosted on GitHub where it can be downloaded for free. Users can find compatible models capable of running on-device, like Google’s Gemma 3n, and run them offline to do things like generate images, get answers to questions, and write and edit code using the processor of supported smartphones. While locally running models aren’t as powerful as their cloud counterparts, they offer more privacy and can sometimes be faster. Continue reading Google AI Edge Gallery App Runs Models Locally on Android

Google is celebrating 10 years of Google Photos by introducing a redesign of the Photos editor, including helpful new tools. The Photos editor gets some AI editing features previously available only on Pixel phones as part of its generative AI Magic Editor. The Photos platform is also expanding access to its AI-powered text-to-image Reimagine and automatic framing and related features first introduced with the Pixel 9. The company explains there are currently more than 1.5 billion monthly Photos users that have stored 9+ trillion photos and videos. The updates reflect Google’s AI push as it continues to integrate Gemini across its growing family of products and services. Continue reading Google Photos Rolling Out Redesign and New AI Editing Tools

Anthropic’s new mobile conversation voice mode for its large language model Claude lets it search Google Docs, Drive, Calendar and more on smartphones. Just a week after debuting two new LLMs — Claude Opus 4 and Sonnet 4 — Anthropic announced the mobile updates for its Claude AI chatbot for iOS and Android and said it is extending web search for all users on free Claude plans. While Claude’s conversational voice interface is currently available only in English and only via mobile, an API for desktop use and browser-based support are part of future plans. Amazon and Google both have investment stakes in San Francisco-based Anthropic. Continue reading Anthropic Touts Mobile Voice Mode, Free Search for Claude

Apple is acquiring its first game studio — Vancouver-based RAC7, a two-person company best known for Apple Arcade’s breakout hit “Sneaky Sasquatch.” While Apple is couching the move as an exception rather than a calculated expansion into gaming, the lack of exclusive Apple Vision Pro gaming IP could be considered a disadvantage against competing platforms. In January, Nvidia announced that its GeForce NOW cloud gaming platform added support for more than 2,000 visionOS-compatible titles accessible through Apple’s Safari browser for 4K streaming at 120 fps. Continue reading Apple Buys into Game Industry with Purchase of RAC7 Studio

Amazon Music has unveiled an AI search tool for music discovery, rolling out in beta on iOS to select Amazon Music Unlimited subscribers in the U.S. Powered by Amazon Bedrock, the feature aims to help listeners learn more about their favorite artists. Called Explore, it provides richer recommendations, including curated music collections, and the search results can be used to create AI-generated playlists that are based on an artist, according to Amazon. “This experimental feature includes results for many of your favorite artists today and will continue expanding to include more over time,” Amazon adds. Continue reading Amazon Music Beta Tests AI Search in iOS for Unlimited Subs

Fresh off its legal victory in the years-long courtroom battle with Apple, Epic Games is getting ready to relaunch “Fortnite” in the App Store with a Rewards program offer that encourages people to use its own payment option rather than the iPhone maker’s system. Gamers who make purchases in “Fortnite,” “Rocket League” or “Fall Guys” using Epic’s payment system will get 20 percent credited back as Epic Rewards. The global offer for those in-game purchases is good in perpetuity, whether made using iOS, Android, a PC or the Web, as long as Epic’s payment system is used. Continue reading Epic Games Rewarding Players for Using Its Payment System

Google is adding a “Simplify” feature for iOS users that uses AI to translate complex or technical text into language that aims to be easy to understand. Simplify leverages what Google calls “a novel prompt refinement approach developed by Google Research,” drawing on the company’s proprietary AI, Gemini, to make complicated writing “digestible — without losing key details.” Google’s research indicates people find Simplify’s plainspeak “significantly more helpful than the original complex text” and improved retention. “Simplify uses AI to make dense text on the web easier to understand — without leaving a web page,” Google explains. Continue reading Google Simplify App Makes Tough Text Easier to Understand

Netflix is testing a short-form video feature for mobile to compete for the attention of those spending time on platforms such as TikTok, Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts. The news came out of the company’s inaugural product and tech event where it also shared plans for an OpenAI-powered search tool that lets users describe their desired content conversationally. Netflix plans to introduce improved real-time recommendations and a redesigned TV homepage, rolling out globally in the coming weeks and months, according to Chief Product Officer Eunice Kim, who presided over the event with Chief Technology Officer Elizabeth Stone. Continue reading Netflix Highlights Original Shows in New Vertical Shorts Feed

Microsoft is adding new features to the Windows 11 Start menu beginning this month, rolling the changes out first to Windows Insiders using Snapdragon X Copilot+ PCs, including the new Surface Pro and Surface Laptop devices. The new Start menu is said to be roomier, with easier all-apps scrollable viewing and the ability to organize categories. The restyled Windows 11 Start menu will also offer a new phone companion panel that provides quick access to frequently used contacts, recent messages and calls, and more on synced Android or iPhone devices. Continue reading Windows 11 Will Feature an Updated Start Menu This Month

Apple has teamed with Anthropic on a “vibe coding” AI platform that will write, edit and test software for developers. The system is essentially an update on Xcode, Apple’s free integrated development environment (IDE) that will be powered by Anthropic’s Claude Sonnet model, according to reports. Apple’s plan is said to be introducing the software internally then deciding later whether to launch it publicly. Apple developed the proprietary Xcode suite of tools and began using it in 2003 to code, debug, test and vet submissions to the App Store for software that runs on all of its operating systems, from iOS to visionOS. Continue reading Apple Reportedly Using Anthropic’s Claude for AI Code Tool