Elon Musk’s social media platform, X, announced a significant price hike for its Premium Plus subscription tier on December 21, 2024.  The monthly fee increased from $16 to $22, marking a nearly 40 percent rise. This adjustment aims to enhance creator payouts and align with a new revenue-sharing model that rewards content quality and engagement […]

Pavel Durov, the founder of Telegram, on Monday announced that the messaging platform has achieved profitability for the first time since its launch in 2013. This milestone comes after Telegram’s revenue surpassed $1 billion for the year, driven by its premium subscription service and advertising revenue. Durov noted that the company now has over 12 […]

Uganda on Monday lifted restrictions on Facebook, after three agonising years for entrepreneurs who have struggled to leverage the social media platform’s ad tools to reach their target market. The ban was initially imposed in 2021 after Facebook blocked accounts linked to the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM), leading to widespread economic hardship among entrepreneurs […]

On December 21, 2024, Elon Musk’s social media platform, X (formerly Twitter), announced a significant price increase for its Premium+ subscription in Nigeria.  The monthly fee jumped by 51 per cent, from N22,550 to N34,000. This change is one of the highest increases seen globally. Read also: Clash of the giants: Meta, Apple battle over […]

On December 20, 2024, Bluesky announced its latest update, version 1.96, unveiling several user-friendly features to enhance the social media experience. Founded by Jack Dorsey, co-founder of Twitter -now X-, Bluesky is gradually gaining prominence in social networking, as  a chunk of users favour the app over X citing Elon Musk’s controversial hot takes. Read […]

Threads, Meta’s microblogging platform, is making headlines for its announcement on December 17, 2024, about the new ability to schedule posts. This update aims to enhance user experience by allowing individuals and businesses to plan their content more effectively, a functionality many users have eagerly awaited since the platform’s launch. Meta has positioned Threads as […]

The Lagos Division of the Federal High Court has issued an interim order of injunction to restrain the Advertising Regulatory Council of Nigeria (ARCON) from penalising Facebook and imposing a ₦60 billion fine on the social media app over alleged infractions. This ruling represents a developing legal battle over Nigeria’s advertising rules and regulatory authority.  […]

Since its inventor, Pavel Durov, was detained in France and charged with spreading dangerous content on his messaging app, Telegram has been under unprecedented pressure to clean up its platform this year. In a statement released Thursday on Durov’s Telegram channel, Telegram claims to have eliminated 15.5 million groups and channels associated with hazardous content, […]

Yango, a ride-hailing service, announced on December 10, 2024, a partnership with Yabx and COFINA to launch in-app digital lending services in Côte d’Ivoire.  This initiative aims to empower drivers by providing them access to cash advances through the Yango app, addressing many gig workers’ financial barriers. Read also: E-hailing firm Yango partners with COFINA, […]

Snapchat has announced an exciting update today. Instead of the previous 24-hour auto-delete setting, users can retain chat messages for up to seven days. This change aims to enhance user experience by providing more conversation management flexibility. A new direction for messaging Bobby Murphy, Reggie Brown, and Evan Spiegel established Snapchat in 2011. The application […]

YouTube officially rolled out its AI-powered auto-dubbing feature to a broader audience on December 10, 2024. Initially tested with select creators after its introduction at Vidcon last year, this tool is now available to hundreds of thousands of channels focusing on knowledge-based content, such as cooking tutorials and DIY projects. Read also: YouTube on your […]

Instagram launched “trial reels” on November 10th, 2024, a feature designed to allow creators to experiment with content without displaying it to their followers. This innovative tool, first tested in May, is now available globally for professional account holders. The aim is to provide a platform for creators to refine their ideas while reducing the […]

Meta is significantly enhancing its microblogging platform, Threads, with new search functionalities, signalling its intent to compete more aggressively with rivals like Bluesky and X (formerly Twitter). Announced on December 2, 2024, Threads now allows users to refine searches by user profiles and date ranges, improving its usability and aligning it more closely with modern […]

TikTok has announced new restrictions on the use of beauty filters for teenage users in an effort to promote a safe digital space. This decision comes in response to growing concerns about the impact of digital editing tools on young people’s self-esteem and body image. The new policy will limit the availability of beauty filters […]

Since its launch last year, Threads users have been vocal about wanting to set their “Following” feed as the default option. More than a year later, Threads is finally testing this feature, allowing users greater control over their experience on the platform. On November 25, 2024, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced that Threads is testing […]

Instagram on Monday announced a new feature that lets users share their live locations with friends through direct messages (DMs). This development marks a strategic move by the Meta-owned platform to compete with similar location-sharing services like Apple’s “Find My” and Snapchat’s Snap Map. These features have gained popularity as convenient ways for users to […]

WhatsApp on Thursday announced the introduction of a transcription feature for voice messages. The feature will assist users in noisy areas to view the content of a voice message in text format. Meta, parent company to WhatsApp, disclosed that transcripts will be available in a variety of languages based on the user’s operating system adding […]

Bluesky is a social media site developed to replace Elon Musk’s X, previously known as Twitter. It is becoming popular because many users are dissatisfied with Musk’s modifications to X, such as political shifts, moderating policies, and rising bots. It has about 19 million users, and the app is gaining 10,000 users every 10-15 minutes. […]

Meta is preparing to run commercials on Threads in early 2025, marking a significant shift from its initial strategy of refraining from monetisation in the platform’s early stages.  The app boasts explosive growth to reach 200 million monthly users as of August 2024, surpassing the app’s expectations. Meta is now reconsidering its stance and focusing […]

Snapchat has announced a new feature that allows parents to request their teen’s real-time location. On Thursday, the video-sharing app  introduced Snap Map, a location-sharing feature within its Family Center, an in-app hub offering parental tools and resources. Snapchat enhancing safety for families The new location-sharing capability is designed to empower parents, allowing them to […]