The announcement was made by WhatsApp on Monday through an official company blog post, where the Meta-owned messaging platform said users can begin reserving unique usernames ahead of the feature’s broader release later this year. The company said the update is designed to reduce the need to expose personal phone numbers when initiating conversations.

With more than 3 billion users worldwide, WhatsApp has traditionally relied on phone numbers as the primary method for identifying and contacting accounts. The upcoming system introduces a different approach by allowing users to be discovered through a unique username instead.

Alice Newton-Rex, WhatsApp’s vice president of product, said the feature was designed with privacy as its primary objective.

According to Newton-Rex, users who enable the option will be reachable only by their exact username rather than their phone number. She also clarified that WhatsApp will not maintain a searchable username directory or provide username suggestions while people search, reducing the likelihood of unsolicited contact.

The company has not announced an exact launch date beyond saying the feature will become available over the coming months.

Usernames Designed to Limit Personal Information Sharing

The introduction of usernames addresses a longstanding privacy limitation on WhatsApp, where anyone possessing another person’s phone number could attempt to initiate contact.

Current privacy tools on the platform include blocking individual users, silencing unknown callers, and displaying optional profile names within group chats for participants who have not saved one another’s contact details. Those measures do not remove the requirement to use phone numbers as account identifiers.

Under the new system, users will have the option of sharing a username instead of their personal mobile number when communicating with new contacts.

Reservation Process Opens Before Global Rollout

WhatsApp said it is opening username reservations ahead of the public launch to give users an opportunity to secure preferred names before the feature becomes widely available.

Newton-Rex acknowledged that desirable usernames are expected to attract significant interest, which influenced the company’s decision to allow early reservations.

Businesses, organizations and creators that already operate verified or established accounts on Meta’s other platforms, including Facebook and Instagram, will also be eligible to reserve matching usernames for WhatsApp.

Rules Intended to Reduce Impersonation Risks

WhatsApp said usernames must contain between three and 35 characters.

To help reduce impersonation, the company plans to reserve certain usernames associated with celebrities, public figures, government organizations and other high-profile entities rather than making them immediately available for public registration.

The company has not provided additional technical details on how those protected usernames will be managed.

Although WhatsApp remains less widely used than traditional text messaging services in the United States, it continues to serve as one of the world’s largest messaging platforms across Europe, Asia and many other regions. The username system represents one of the platform’s most notable identity and privacy updates by reducing dependence on phone numbers while maintaining existing account security.

Tags: WhatsApp, Meta, Usernames, Privacy, Messaging Apps, Digital Identity, Online Privacy, Meta Platforms, Mobile Apps, Technology

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A decade after Google Glass fizzled out, smart glasses are making a comeback—and this time, Silicon Valley is betting big that artificial intelligence will finally make the concept click.

From Google and Meta to Snap and Amazon, major tech firms are racing to develop AI-powered eyewear that can see, understand, and respond to the world around you in real time. The goal? Replace—or at least supplement—the smartphone with something more intuitive, hands-free, and face-forward.

Why Now? Two Major Shifts Are Driving the Hype

There are two main reasons smart glasses are back in the spotlight:

1. The smartphone is losing its shine. People aren’t upgrading as often, and innovation has slowed.
2. AI has caught up. Today’s AI can handle voice, image, and video inputs simultaneously, making it far more useful in real-world scenarios than it was during Google Glass’ time.

“AI is making these devices a lot easier to use, and it’s also introducing new ways people can use them,” said Jitesh Ubrani, research manager at the International Data Corporation (IDC).

What Today’s Smart Glasses Can Actually Do

Early versions of smart glasses from Google, Snap, Meta, and Amazon focused on basics: taking pictures, listening to music, or offering voice assistance. But they didn’t do anything your phone couldn’t—and they certainly didn’t look cool.

Now, things are changing.

• Meta’s Ray-Ban smart glasses can translate languages in real time or tell you whether a pepper in your hand is spicy.
• Google’s Gemini-powered glasses can remember what you’ve seen and answer questions based on your environment. At a recent developer conference, a Google employee asked Gemini to recall the name of a coffee shop printed on a cup she had looked at earlier.
• Snap’s next-generation Spectacles, expected in 2026, promise AI that can “understand the world around you.”

Even better: Meta said it’s already sold over 2 million pairs of its Ray-Ban smart glasses since their 2023 launch.

The Market Is Set to Boom

After years of misfires, the numbers suggest this time could be different.

• ABI Research forecasts the smart glasses market will grow from 3.3 million units in 2024 to nearly 13 million by 2026.
• IDC expects growth from 8.8 million in 2025 to almost 14 million in 2026, especially among devices like Meta’s Ray-Bans.

“There’s finally now some good concepts of what’s working,” said Andrew Zignani, senior research director at ABI Research.

What’s Coming Next

Snap hasn’t revealed much about its upcoming Specs, but the company made its ambition clear: “The tiny smartphone limited our imagination. It forced us to look down at a screen, instead of up at the world.”

Meanwhile, Apple is rumored to be developing its own smart glasses, and Amazon may follow suit. Panos Panay, Amazon’s devices chief, hinted in February that AI-powered Alexa glasses could be part of the company’s future hardware roadmap.

AI platforms like OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Google Gemini are already prepping for this shift, turning your phone camera into a tool for understanding your surroundings. Even toy maker Mattel is reportedly working with OpenAI to embed similar tech in its products.

But Do People Actually Want Smart Glasses?

That’s the billion-dollar question.

Privacy concerns remain a major hurdle. Google Glass famously flopped in part because people were creeped out by the idea of hidden cameras. Today’s models try to address that by including lights that signal when they’re recording—but that may not be enough to win over the skeptical.

Then there’s the price. Meta’s Ray-Bans cost around $300—not outrageous, but not cheap either, especially as consumers grow cautious about spending on non-essential gadgets. For comparison, global smartwatch sales recently dropped for the first time in years, suggesting wearables may be losing steam.

Another challenge? Convincing people to wear glasses all day—especially those who don’t need prescription lenses.

Still, Tech Giants Are Willing to Bet on the Future

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg recently told a federal court that smart glasses—and even holograms—could be central to how we interact with technology in the future.

“Many in the industry believe that the smartphone will eventually be replaced by glasses or something similar,” said Ubrani. “It’s not going to happen today. It’s going to happen many years from now, and all these companies want to make sure that they’re not going to miss out on that change.”

Whether consumers will buy into the vision—or the glasses—is still up in the air. But for now, Big Tech is all-in.

Source: CNN – Google, Meta and Snap think this tech is the next big thing

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Sonos is quietly ending its eight-year collaboration with Ikea and phasing out the popular Symfonisk speaker line. The culprit? Rising tariffs introduced during the Trump administration that made producing affordable, stylish speakers nearly impossible.

The End of Symfonisk: When Quality Meets Affordability

Symfonisk launched in 2019 as a fresh way to bring Sonos’ premium sound to a wider audience without breaking the bank. Ikea designed the sleek, functional speakers — like a bookshelf speaker that doubled as furniture or a picture frame that played music — while Sonos provided its trusted wireless streaming technology.

Starting at just $99, these speakers were rare gems in the Sonos lineup: affordable, easy to use, and blending seamlessly into home decor. They supported AirPlay 2, worked perfectly with the Sonos app, and could even serve as part of a surround sound system.

For many buyers, Symfonisk was more than just budget gear — it was an elegant way to expand their Sonos sound system without spoiling the look of their living room. But keeping prices that low meant Sonos had to carefully control costs. And that’s where tariffs entered the picture.

Tariffs Crush Symfonisk’s Business Model

During Trump’s first term, tariffs of up to 25% were imposed on Chinese electronics, including parts used in Symfonisk speakers. Sonos responded by shifting production to Malaysia and Vietnam, hoping to dodge those taxes.

At first, this plan seemed to work — but in 2025, new tariffs hit those countries hard: Malaysian imports faced a 24% tax, and Vietnamese goods were slapped with a whopping 46%. Suddenly, Sonos’ fallback options became far more expensive.

The company had reassured investors that risks were under control — but the stock plunged 15% immediately after the news.

Sonos, unlike tech giants with bigger profit margins, operates with very slim hardware profits. Prices rose from $99 to $119 in the U.S., and even more in other markets. Ikea’s retail chief Jesper Brodin was blunt: when tariffs rise, customers pay more.

The affordable Symfonisk speakers were simply priced out of the market.

Software Troubles Make Things Worse

Tariffs strained the bottom line, but a disastrous software update sealed Symfonisk’s fate.

In 2024, Sonos launched a completely revamped mobile app meant to improve user experience. Instead, it caused widespread problems: speakers stopped responding, connections failed, and users struggled to control their devices.

The backlash was swift. By early 2025, CEO Patrick Spence resigned, and board member Tom Conrad stepped in as interim CEO with a clear mission: fix the core product and restore customer trust.

Sonos cut loose any project that didn’t align with this goal — including shelving a much-anticipated video streaming device and focusing back on reliable sound and software.

Unfortunately, Symfonisk, a budget-friendly line produced overseas, didn’t survive the reset.

What This Means for Sonos Fans

If you already own a Symfonisk speaker, don’t worry — your device will continue to work with Sonos updates and AirPlay 2. But once Ikea sells its remaining stock, the era of affordable, stylish Sonos speakers is over.

Sonos is now focusing on higher-end products, leaving behind the budget segment that once helped bring quality sound to more homes.

Source: Headphonesty – How Trump’s Tariffs Forced Sonos to Abandon Its Most Affordable Speakers and Break Up With Ikea

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If your afternoon meeting mysteriously vanished on Wednesday, you weren’t alone.

Zoom experienced a widespread outage that left tens of thousands of users unable to join meetings or access the platform, offering a surprise break to remote workers everywhere. The disruption peaked just after 3 p.m. ET, according to outage tracking site Downdetector.com, which logged over 60,000 reports at the height of the incident.

Service began recovering around 4:43 p.m. ET, and by 4:52 p.m., Zoom confirmed via its official X (formerly Twitter) account that things were back up and running. By that time, outage reports had sharply dropped to under 10,000 and continued to decline throughout the evening.

Zoom’s spokesperson acknowledged the disruption in a brief email to CNN but didn’t explain what caused the glitch.

The temporary shutdown sparked a wave of reactions across social media. While some professionals were frustrated, many welcomed the unexpected pause from their workday.

“Shoutout to Zoom for being down when I really didn’t want to go to a 4pm meeting,” one user wrote.

Another joked: “Zoom is down. No more work today.”

Zoom became a household name during the pandemic, turning into a lifeline for remote work, virtual classrooms, and family catch-ups. In addition to video conferencing, the platform also supports collaboration tools for businesses.

Interestingly, Zoom wasn’t the only tech hiccup of the day. Earlier on Wednesday, Spotify also encountered brief issues that left some users unable to stream audio. Those problems were resolved by midday, according to Spotify’s update on X.

Source: CNN – A Zoom outage prevented thousands of people from joining meetings, using the website

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Spotify users around the world hit pause—literally—on Wednesday afternoon as a widespread outage left many unable to stream music.

According to real-time tracking service Downdetector, more than 20,000 users began reporting issues with the app around 1:30 PM GMT. The problems weren’t limited to one region, with thousands more chiming in from the U.S. and parts of Europe.

Users quickly realized that while they could still play downloaded music, the app’s search function and artist pages were unresponsive. Any attempt to search resulted in a frustrating message:

“Something went wrong.”
A refresh button appeared, but for most, it didn’t help.

Spotify took to social media to acknowledge the issue:

“We’re aware of some issues right now and are checking them out.”

Later, the company told the BBC that the search-related issue had been addressed and an update was being rolled out to users. However, Spotify didn’t say how long it would take for things to return to normal across the board.

Spotify boasts more than 675 million users worldwide, and many took to social media to vent their frustration. Some said the outage ruined their gym session, others were in the middle of studying and relied on their playlists to focus.

One user tweeted:

“I can’t work out without my playlist. Fix it, Spotify!”

Others went a step further, threatening to switch to rivals like Apple Music or YouTube Music if the service wasn’t restored soon.

While outages like these are typically resolved quickly, they serve as a reminder of how dependent many of us have become on streaming services for everything from motivation at the gym to background noise while working or studying.

Spotify has yet to confirm the exact cause of the issue or provide a full resolution timeline—but for now, if you’ve got music downloaded, you’re in luck.

Source: BBC – Thousands report Spotify problems around the world

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Users around the world faced disruptions with OpenAI’s ChatGPT and other applications late Wednesday evening. The issues, which affected users from Japan to Australia, were first reported at approximately 8:30 p.m., according to Down Detector.

Quick Response and Recovery

In response to the outage, OpenAI swiftly acknowledged the problem and began investigating. Around 15 minutes later, the company reported seeing signs of recovery in both its API and Sora services, reassuring users that efforts were underway to resolve the issue.

By just before midnight EST, OpenAI confirmed the outage was resolved, with a spokesperson telling FOX Business that “all systems are currently operational.”

A Repeat of Previous Issues

This recent outage follows a similar incident in late December, when OpenAI experienced a major service disruption. In that case, the issue was traced back to an upstream provider— a company that links a local internet service provider to the broader internet.

Timing and Context

Interestingly, the outage came just a day after OpenAI announced the rollout of a new, education-focused version of ChatGPT. The updated chatbot will be made available to 500,000 students and faculty at California State University as part of OpenAI’s push to expand its presence in the academic sector. This move also positions the company to compete more directly with rivals like Google’s Alphabet.

With the outage quickly resolved, OpenAI continues to address the challenges of keeping its services up and running smoothly across the globe.

Source

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