active users Archives

AppWizard

April 8, 2025

We’re Introducing New Built-In Restrictions for Instagram Teen Accounts, and Expanding to Facebook and Messenger

Last year, Instagram introduced Teen Accounts with built-in protections for users under 16, requiring parental consent for any changes to default strict settings. A survey indicated that 97% of teens aged 13-15 chose to keep these protective measures. New safeguards for Instagram Live and direct messages will require parental approval for teens under 16. Teen Accounts will also be expanded to Facebook and Messenger, initially targeting users in the US, UK, Australia, and Canada. Since their launch, over 54 million teens have used Teen Accounts, which include features like automatic private settings, content controls, and reminder notifications. A survey showed that 94% of parents found Teen Accounts beneficial, with over 90% supporting the default protections.

AppWizard

April 6, 2025

‘A Minecraft Movie’ is on-track for a $135M opening weekend

The big screen adaptation of Minecraft has made a significant debut, earning millions on its opening Friday and is projected to reach 5 million by the end of the weekend, potentially setting a new benchmark for 2023. If these projections hold, it would surpass “Captain America: Brave New World,” which earned .8 million in February, and provide a boost to the domestic box office, which is down 7% year-over-year. The film, directed by Jared Hess and featuring stars like Jason Momoa and Jack Black, creatively introduces human characters into the Minecraft world, despite the game's lack of a defined storyline. The film's performance mirrors that of “The Super Mario Brothers Movie,” which also faced mixed reviews but achieved box office success. This opening weekend is encouraging for Warner Bros., which has faced recent setbacks, and a sequel seems likely.

AppWizard

March 20, 2025

Crafting a Blockbuster: How ‘A Minecraft Movie’ Brought the Wacky, Cubic Video Game to Life

The upcoming "A Minecraft Movie," a collaboration between Legendary Entertainment, Warner Bros. Pictures, and Microsoft, is set to be released next month. The film is based on the sandbox game "Minecraft," which allows players to create and explore in an open-ended environment. The cast includes Jason Momoa, Danielle Brooks, Emma Myers, and Sebastian Eugene Hansen, with Jack Black portraying an expert crafter named Steve. The film aims to maintain the family-friendly essence of "Minecraft" and is seen as an experiment in linear storytelling. Phil Spencer, CEO of Microsoft Gaming, acknowledges the learning curve in adapting games for film, referencing past projects like "Halo" and "Fallout." "Minecraft" has sold over 300 million copies since its launch in 2011, and the film has been in development for over a decade. Director Jared Hess is noted for his ability to balance humor for children with sophistication for adults, and Jack Black reportedly logged over 100 hours of gameplay during production. The success of the film will be measured by box office performance and audience engagement, particularly among children.

AppWizard

March 20, 2025

Telegram reached 1 billion users — and became the world’s second largest messenger after WhatsApp, or «a miserable copy» according to Durov

Telegram has reached 1 billion active users each month, making it the second most popular messaging app globally, after WhatsApp. Telegram generated revenues of 7 million in 2024, with each user opening the app 21 times daily and spending approximately 41 minutes per day on it. Pavel Durov returned to Dubai after facing legal challenges in France, where he was detained for nearly six months due to serious allegations. In Ukraine, around 73% of users rely on Telegram for news updates, reflecting a 1% increase over the past year.

AppWizard

March 19, 2025

Minecraft recreates NZ’s most popular tourism destinations

Gamers will be able to explore six iconic New Zealand locations, including Abel Tasman National Park and Lake Tekapo, in Minecraft, thanks to a collaboration with Tourism New Zealand. This initiative aims to introduce New Zealand and Te Ao Māori to millions of players worldwide and inspire them to visit in real life. The six locations—Waitomo Caves, Rotorua, Kāpiti Island, Abel Tasman National Park, Lake Tekapo, and Doubtful Sound—were selected for their cultural significance and representation of New Zealand's landscapes. Minecraft, created by Mojang Studios and acquired by Microsoft, has sold over 300 million copies and has more than 100 million active users monthly. The collaboration includes input from local iwi to ensure respectful representation of Māori culture.

AppWizard

March 16, 2025

New messaging app hopes to get travellers to fill idle time on flights by talking to others

Wingle is a mobile application that enables passengers to communicate with each other during flights without needing an internet connection, utilizing Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. The app allows users to send messages and book airport lounge services, and it was launched in Europe in July 2024, with a global rollout planned for January 2025. It has attracted over 20,000 active users, primarily from Europe. Users create profiles that include personal information and a personality diagram, and conversations are temporary, disappearing after the flight. Wingle generates revenue through commissions from booking services, and its reception has been mixed, with some users appreciating the opportunity for social interaction, while others express concerns about privacy and potential misuse.

AppWizard

March 14, 2025

The Digital Privacy Paradox: Encrypted Messaging App ‘Session’ Solves What Others Won’t

Instant messaging has become a crucial part of global communication, connecting billions of users while raising concerns about privacy and security. Many popular messaging apps, despite encryption, still expose users to privacy threats through metadata collection, which can reveal personal information. Session is a messaging platform that aims to address these issues by minimizing metadata usage and ensuring user anonymity through anonymous sign-ups, a decentralized infrastructure, and advanced encryption techniques. Session does not require personal details like phone numbers or emails for registration and operates on a network of over 2,200 nodes, making it difficult for any single entity to access or censor user data. The app is open-source, allowing for transparency and independent audits, and employs onion routing to enhance security. Session is particularly beneficial for journalists and activists who need secure communication in surveillance-prone environments. The platform is governed by the non-profit Session Technology Foundation, which prioritizes user privacy over profit. Session's upcoming token, $SESH, will incentivize individuals to operate nodes, contributing to the decentralized nature of the network and enhancing security through staking mechanisms. The transition from Oxen to Session Token on Arbitrum aims to improve efficiency and scalability while planning for a future where privacy-first messaging competes with mainstream platforms.

AppWizard

February 28, 2025

Can alternative app stores break through?

Amazon will close its Android App Store on August 20th, preventing developers from submitting new applications. Epic Games reported an 18% year-over-year decline in player spending on PC, amounting to 5 million in 2024, despite increased user accounts. Alternative app stores face challenges in competing with established platforms like Apple’s App Store and Google Play. Companies like Huawei and Samsung have large user bases but struggle to generate significant revenue in Western markets. Alvaro Pinto, co-founder of Aptoide, notes that Amazon's closure occurs as the app distribution ecosystem is evolving, suggesting potential for new marketplaces despite existing hurdles. The upcoming Pocket Gamer Connects San Francisco event on March 17th to 18th will discuss insights on alternative app stores and direct-to-consumer practices.

AppWizard

February 26, 2025

Slack is down, reporting outages across messaging app

On Wednesday, Slack experienced a significant outage that disrupted communication for numerous users. At 10:27 a.m. Eastern Time, Slack's status tracker indicated difficulties in using or loading the platform. By approximately 1 p.m. ET, the company was still working to restore functionality to affected features. During the peak of the outage, over 3,000 users reported an inability to access the platform, but some services began to recover by mid-morning. The root cause of the outage remains unclear. Slack, a subsidiary of Salesforce, serves more than 200,000 paid customers and daily active users across over 150 countries.

AppWizard

February 19, 2025

PebbleHost review

PebbleHost, established in 2017, specializes in Minecraft server hosting and offers three plans: budget, premium, and extreme. The budget servers are designed for cost-conscious users. The company also provides VPS and dedicated server hosting, as well as Discord bot hosting services. The server hardware includes Intel i9-9900k and Ryzen 5700X CPUs for budget and premium plans, while the premium plan uses the Ryzen 7900 CPU and DDR5 memory. The extreme plan features dedicated CPU threads. The budget server starts at a low quarterly price for 1GB of RAM, while the premium server with 5GB of RAM is priced monthly. The extreme server starts at a higher price for 6GB of RAM and 3 threads. PebbleHost offers a 72-hour refund policy and various payment methods, including cryptocurrencies. The signup process is straightforward, providing immediate access to passwords and the control panel. The user-friendly control panel allows easy management of server settings, including switching between server versions. PebbleHost has server locations in North America, Europe, and the UK, with premium users also accessing servers in Australia and Singapore. Performance varies by plan, with the budget option potentially insufficient for active users. The premium plan is recommended for better gameplay. Support is available through a ticketing system and an active Discord server, with a positive response time for tickets. An advanced support package is offered for additional assistance. PebbleHost maintains a knowledge base and a server status page showing a 7-day average uptime of 99.992%.