Apple will force app developers to include ‘Sign in with Apple’

Apple is forcing app developers using third-party sign-ins to adopt its 'Sign in with Apple' alternative.

The new button was debuted at this year’s WWDC and offers an innovative solution to a serious problem. Rather than sign-in via a service which collects data – like those from Facebook, Twitter, and Google – users can benefit from the convenience of such logins but also protect their privacy.

Rather than provide a user’s actual email address, Apple’s sign-in button generates a randomised email address which forwards on to the real account. This ensures the user’s email is kept private and they have full control over who it’s shared with and the messages they receive, while  also enabling developers to provide important updates.

TikTok overtakes Facebook as most downloaded app

The adage 'good news comes in threes' certainly holds true for social video app TikTok, owned by Chinese startup ByteDance. In February, the wildly popular app announced crossing the one billion mark for worldwide installs on the App Store and Google Play, including its lite versions and regional variations. Then, on April 24, the Madras High Court lifted its three-week interim ban on TikTok, a significant break for the player since it has made no bones about its bullish intentions in India. And now comes news that it has overtaken US social media giant Facebook in terms of the number of downloads.

According to market intelligence firm Sensor Tower, TikTok recorded its best first quarter yet for new users in the quarter ended March, with 188 million new installs between January 1 and March 31. That's a whopping 70% increase year-on-year. On its blog, the app analytics platform added that TikTok's growth was "largely driven by India, where an estimated 88.6 million new users flocked to the app", posting an over eight-fold increase over the same quarter last year. So India accounted for over 47% of its downloads in Q1. In comparison, TikTok added approximately 13.2 million new users in the United States during the period, up 2.8 times over Q1 FY18.

Facebook, which is also used extensively on the desktop, came in second with 176 million new downloads in the same period, The Economic Times reported, adding that the largest chunk (21%) came from India. At the end of 2018, Facebook had been the most downloaded application globally.

"What we see is going to be unique in the Indian market is that the next wave of 200-400 million joining the internet might experience TikTok as their first social media platform where they can share special moments of their lives with not only friends and family, but also with a global audience with similar interests," TikTok told the daily.

Dropbox focuses on collaboration with major app redesign

Dropbox has given its file-sharing software a major overhaul in an effort to reposition itself as a hub for workplace collaboration and productivity.

The company's aim is to combine various fragmented digital workplace tools into one place. "It's a single workspace to organize your content, connect your tools, and bring everyone together, wherever you are," the company said in a blog post Monday.

Three main components of the new Dropbox app aim to achieve this goal.

First, it combines documents from a range of sources, including Google Docs, Sheets and Slides and Microsoft Office files, making them accessible in one place. Users can create, organize and share content direct from Dropbox, the company said, while bookmark shortcuts for webpages and other SaaS tools can also be stored. There is also an improved search interface to find documents.

Second, integrations with collaboration and communication tools, including Slack and Zoom, make it easier to chat with co-workers about work under way without leaving Dropbox.

Little Eye Labs deal a big positive for Indian startups' - GSF's Sawhney

Just days after the news of Facebook acquiring Bangalore-based Little Eye Labs created plenty of buzzes, analysts across the nation are predicting that this might just signal the start of the West taking a serious interest in India. While the team at Little Eye Labs is all set to move to Menlo Park to work with the mobile division of Facebook, what is interesting to look at is the manner in which they were noticed, first within the Indian ecosystem, and eventually by the social-networking giant.

Rajesh Sawhney, founder GSF Accelerator, one of the investors in the startup, says, "For us, personally, the reason why we chose to invest in Little Eye Labs is that of two things. One the team was made up of seasoned industry veterans and second, they have a driving vision of clarity. They knew what they were getting into and they also knew the road they were going to take, to get there."