Apple and Google agree to change app stores after'effective duopoly' claim Apple and Google have agreed to make changes to their app stores in the UK following an intervention from the UK markets regulator. According to the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), the tech giants have committed to not giving preferential treatment to their own apps and will be transparent about how others are approved for sale, among other agreements. It comes seven months after the regulator said Apple and Google had an effective duopoly in the UK over their dominance in the sector. The CMA's head Sarah Cardell said the proposed commitments will boost the UK's app economy and were the first of many measures. The ability to secure immediate commitments from Apple and Google reflects the unique flexibility of the UK digital markets competition regime and offers a practical route to swiftly address the concerns we've identified, she said.

Months after major data leaks, the app where women leave Yelp-style reviews about men is relaunching with a new website. It's not back on iOS, but the Android app has new AI features. The embattled Tea app is back. Months after being removed from Apple's App Store in light of major data breaches, the app that allows women to share anonymous Yelp-style reviews of men is relaunching with a new website designed to help women "access dating guardrails without limitation," Tea's head of trust and safety Jessica Dees told WIRED. The app, which launched in 2023 and went viral last summer, getting to number 1 on the iOS App Store, lets users post photos of men while also pointing out red flags, such as if they are already partnered or registered sex offenders.

I asked my MIT class to consider why some of the advances that MIT Technology Review's journalists thought would change our world never really did--and what we can learn from the flops. Every year, publishes a list of 10 Breakthrough Technologies. In fact, the 2026 version is out today. This marks the 25th year the newsroom has compiled this annual list, which means its journalists and editors have now identified 250 technologies as breakthroughs. A few years ago, editor at large David Rotman revisited the publication's original list, finding that while all the technologies were still relevant, each had evolved and progressed in often unpredictable ways. I lead students through a similar exercise in a graduate class I teach with James Scott for MIT's School of Architecture and Planning.

PCWorld reports that OpenAI has launched an app store for ChatGPT, allowing developers to submit applications that integrate directly with the AI chatbot platform. Users can access apps through the sidebar's'Apps' button and interact with them by typing '@appname' during conversations, with categories including Featured, Lifestyle, and Productivity. This expansion transforms ChatGPT into a more comprehensive platform where developers can even link apps to external sites for purchasing physical goods. OpenAI just announced in a blog post that you can now connect ChatGPT with even more apps. In fact, OpenAI has also opened things up for developers to submit their own apps for review, which can then be published in ChatGPT's app library. You'll be able to access the ChatGPT app store via the Apps button in the sidebar of ChatGPT. The apps in the store are divided into Featured, Lifestyle, and Productivity categories. Once you've linked an app to the chatbot, you'll be able to use it by typing in your ChatGPT conversations, and the app in question will then be able to help you with things like booking reservations and ordering food.

An AI image generator startup's database was left accessible to the open internet, revealing more than 1 million images and videos, including photos of real people who had been "nudified." An AI image generator startup left more than 1 million images and videos created with its systems exposed and accessible to anyone online, according to new research reviewed by WIRED. The "overwhelming majority" of the images involved nudity and were "depicted adult content," according to the researcher who uncovered the exposed trove of data, with some appearing to depict children or the faces of children swapped onto the AI-generated bodies of nude adults. Multiple websites--including MagicEdit and DreamPal--all appeared to be using the same unsecured database, says security researcher Jeremiah Fowler, who discovered the security flaw in October. At the time, Fowler says, around 10,000 new images were being added to the database every day.

Apple said in a statement the removal came after an order from the Cyberspace Administration of China. Apple said in a statement the removal came after an order from the Cyberspace Administration of China. Two of China's most popular gay dating apps have disappeared from app stores in the country, raising fears of a further crackdown on LGBT communities. As of Tuesday, Blued and Finka were unavailable on Apple's app store and several Android platforms. Users who had already downloaded the apps appeared to still be able to use them. Both apps were still available for download from their official websites.

Apple has removed two of the most popular gay dating apps in China from the App Store after receiving an order from China's main internet regulator and censorship authority, WIRED has learned. The move comes as reports of Blued and Finka disappearing from the iOS App Store and several Android app stores circulated on Chinese social media over the weekend. The apps appear to still be functional for users in the country who already have them downloaded. "We follow the laws in the countries where we operate. Based on an order from the Cyberspace Administration of China, we have removed these two apps from the China storefront only," an Apple spokesperson said in an email.

We are going to do everything in our power to fight this,

Plus: China sentences scam bosses to death, Europe is ramping up its plans to build a "drone wall" to protect against Russian airspace violations, and more. If you're traveling to a country and, once you arrive, realize it's in the midst of a Gen Z-fueled revolution, what do you do? If you're Harry Jackson, a travel vlogger, you run straight into the action. This week, WIRED spoke with Jackson, who recounted his time documenting the overthrow of Nepal's government for his social media channels and the millions of people who watched his videos. Tile tracking tags can be a useful way to find your lost keys, wallet, or pets.

Elon Musk's artificial intelligence startup xAI has sued Apple and ChatGPT maker OpenAI, accusing them of illegally conspiring to thwart competition for artificial intelligence (AI). The lawsuit filed in a United States federal court in Texas on Monday says that Apple and OpenAI have "locked up markets to maintain their monopolies and prevent innovators like X and xAI from competing". The complaint filed by the billionaire said Apple and OpenAI conspired to suppress xAI's products, including on the Apple App Store. "If not for its exclusive deal with OpenAI, Apple would have no reason to refrain from more prominently featuring the X app and the Grok app in its App Store," xAI said. The lawsuit pointed out that in June 2024, Apple and OpenAI announced they would integrate ChatGPT into Apple's operating system under an exclusive arrangement.