Apple’s new plan to give a higher cut of royalties to artists who offer spatial audio has pissed off some indie labels, who argue it will take potential earnings away from them in favor of companies with more resources at their disposal, according to a report from the Financial Times. Apple last month started offering 10 percent higher royalties to artists who release spatial audio tracks on Apple Music. But, this comes out of the same fixed pool of money also used to pay artists who do not offer the format.

Spatial audio is produced using Dolby Atmos technology and, according to executives who spoke with FT, costs roughly $1,000 more per song. A whole album would cost about 10 times as much — now multiply that to account for the hundreds or thousands of albums a label may have in its back catalog. The Financial Times spoke with executives from Beggars Group, Secretly and Partisan Records, which house labels representing artists including Vampire Weekend, Phoebe Bridgers and others.

One executive told FT, “If [this policy] takes between 5 and 10 percent off of your global revenues, and not even because the songs aren’t performing but because you lose that money and it goes to Universal, the biggest player in the market, we’re definitely concerned. It’s hard enough to make money off of streaming.” They plan to take it up with Apple in hopes of working out a better deal.

Thanks to a sale on Amazon right now, you can pick up a few extra Apple AirTags at a discount. A four-pack of the Bluetooth trackers is $20 off the normal price of $99, dropping them down to just $79. It’s the best price for a pack of AirTags we’ve seen yet this year. For iPhone owners, there’s no better option than AirTags for keeping track of your things, as they’re able to make use of Apple’s massive Find My network to help pinpoint lost objects.

AirTags’ ability to use crowd-sourced location information from the millions of Apple devices currently in operation means you have a really good shot at tracking whatever it is that’s gone missing. But we often lose items somewhere within our own homes, too, and Find My has a Precision Finding feature on compatible iPhones for those instances where the object is somewhere close by. Using the Find My app, you can ping the tracker so it plays a sound, and the app will lead you to the lost item with directional arrows, even showing you about how many feet away it is.

The battery in the tracker lasts roughly a year, so you generally don’t need to worry about it running out. Once it is ready to be changed, it only takes one CR2032 coin battery. There is one downside to the AirTags design, though — there’s no built-in key loop or method of attaching to another item, so if you want to clip it onto something, you’ll need to buy an accessory. And there are plenty of great AirTags accessories out there.

AirTags are IP67 rated for dust and water resistance, and you can use them to track as many as 32 items in the Find My app. You just need to have an Apple device to make use of their tracking capabilities.

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It’s been 20 years since Mark Zuckerberg first brought thefacebook.com online from his dorm room. What happened next has been endlessly documented: the Harvard-only social network took over college campuses and, eventually, the world.

The social network occupies an increasingly awkward space in Meta’s “family” of apps. A majority of American adults still use the service, but three out of four believe Facebook — perhaps because it fueled a global misinformation crises and promoted genocidal hate speech — is “making society worse.” Facebook still generates billions of dollars in ad revenue for Meta, but user growth has slowed to the point where the company just announced it will no longer share how many people use it.

“Amen spam” regularly appears in Facebook’s list of most-viewed posts. The most prolific users on its game-streaming service are spammers. Faced with increased pressure from TikTok, Meta rejiggered its feed, yet again, to emphasize recommendations over posts from people you know. But the shift hasn’t made Facebook feel like TikTok as much as a strange window into what Meta’s algorithms deem most engaging and least offensive.

My own Facebook feed is inundated with posts from groups I don’t belong to dedicated to anodyne topics like home remodeling, cast iron pan enthusiasts and something called the “Dull Men’s Club.” I haven’t shared anything to my own page in more than a year, despite logging in almost daily. I’m hardly an outlier. A majority of adults now say they are “pickier” than they used to be about what they post on social media.

Unsurprisingly, teens have almost no interest in the social network of their parents and grandparents. Just 33 percent of US teens report “ever” using the service, compared with 71 percent in 2015. These dynamics, in which Facebook’s user base is aging faster than its product, has led some academics to conclude that the social network will one day have more profiles for dead people than alive.

Today, Facebook has more than 3 billion users and remains the workhorse of the Mark Zuckerberg cinematic universe, even if it's no longer the title character. Instead, it’s just one of his company’s “family” of apps. In 2021, it was formally demoted when Zuckerberg rebranded the company as Meta. "Our brand is so tightly linked to one product that it can't possibly represent everything that we're doing today, let alone in the future," Zuckerberg said of Facebook. "From now on, we're going to be metaverse-first, not Facebook-first."

Whether Meta has succeeded in becoming a “metaverse-first” company is, at best, debatable. But few would argue it’s anything close to “Facebook-first.” More recently, Zuckerberg has tried to pitch Meta as a metaverse company and an AI company, joining the race to create human-level superintelligence.

At the same time, the only reason Zuckerberg’s ambitions are even possible is because of Facebook’s success. Meta has lost tens of billions of dollars on its metaverse investments, and expects to lose even more for the foreseeable future. The company also plans to spend billions more on AI infrastructure (AGI doesn’t come cheap).

These investments will determine whether Zuckerberg’s bet on the future of social media is correct. And if he realizes his vision for an AI chatbot, metaverse-enabled future, it will have been possible largely because of the unparalleled financial success of the oldest and dullest part of his empire.

Against all odds, Japan’s SLIM lander managed to turn back on more than a week after it plopped upside down onto the surface of the moon — but now, it’s gone dormant for the duration of the lunar night, and it may not be able to wake up again. The SLIM team from the Japanese space agency, JAXA, on Thursday shared the last image the lander captured at the moon’s Shioli crater before dusk, as night encroached. Lunar night lasts the equivalent of two Earth weeks and can get colder than 200 degrees Fahrenheit.

The team has confirmed that the solar powered lander is in a dormant state that will last at least the duration of the lunar night. Its chances of resuming operations afterward aren’t great, but then again, it’s already surprised us once. “Although SLIM was not designed for the harsh lunar nights, we plan to try to operate again from mid-February, when the Sun will shine again on SLIM’s solar cells,” the team wrote on X. If this truly is SLIM’s last photo, it sure is a spooky one.

According to a document leaked on X, Google is planning to introduce some major changes to its Bard AI tool as soon as this coming week. The plans, which have not been publicly confirmed, reportedly include changing the Bard name to Gemini. It would make sense for Google to do so, if only for simplicity’s sake — the company introduced its new multimodal AI model, Gemini, at the end of 2023 and has begun integrating it into some of its products, including Bard.

The changelog shared by Android app developer Dylan Roussel is dated February 7, and also notes that the paid Gemini Advanced tier will become available at this time. It mentions a Gemini app for Android is “coming soon,” as well.

Per the document, Gemini Advanced will give users access to the Ultra 1.0 model of Gemini, which is “far more capable at highly complex tasks like coding, logical reasoning, following nuanced instructions, and creative collaboration.” It’ll be available in over 150 countries and optimized for the English language at the start. The changelog also says Gemini will expand to Canada with this release.

Apple released a new support document for the Vision Pro on Friday night, and it clarifies which accessories will — and won’t — work with the headset. While Apple says it is compatible with “most” Bluetooth keyboards, including its own and other manufacturers’, the Vision Pro doesn’t support Bluetooth mice. Vision Pro owners will be to use Apple’s Magic Trackpad, though.

Apple Vision Pro officially hit shelves yesterday, and there are hundreds of apps for productivity and entertainment available at launch. With eye and hand tracking for precision navigation and controls, there isn’t necessarily a need for a mouse, but some people probably would have liked to use one for certain tasks. However, it is compatible with plenty of other accessories that are critical for certain experiences, like gaming controllers. According to Apple, “All controllers with MFi (Made for iPhone) designation work with Apple Vision Pro. This includes controllers by Xbox, PlayStation, and any controller that works with iPadOS.”

And, while it supports Bluetooth keyboards, you may need to upgrade if you use an older Apple keyboard. According to Apple, its older models that use removable batteries will not work with the Vision Pro.

Apple’s latest smartwatch, the Series 9, is back down to its record-low price in a one-day-only sale at Best Buy. The 41mm Apple Watch Series 9, which normally goes for $399, is just $299 today for the GPS model. The larger version, 45mm, is on sale for $100 off as well, bringing it down to $329. For both sizes, the deal applies to multiple colors, so you can get the watch in Silver, Light Pink, Starlight, Midnight or (Product)Red with either the sport band or the nylon sport loop.

The Apple Watch Series 9 added some new features for more convenient interactions with your smartwatch. That includes Double Tap, a control option that doesn’t require you to touch the screen at all — you just need to squeeze your thumb and index finger together two times using the hand on the same arm as your watch, and it’ll carry out a designated action. You could use it, for example, to pause or unpause your music.

The Series 9 scored a 92 in our review, excelling as usual at health and fitness tracking, among other tasks. It also tops our list of the best smartwatches you can get this year. Apple also introduced on-device Siri for the Apple Watch with the Series 9, which means the assistant can function when you’re offline or don’t have your phone with you. Apple also said it improved the “Raise to Speak” feature with the Series 9 to wake Siri more efficiently without voice commands. All of this is made possible by its new S9 system-in-package (SiP).

You won’t get blood oxygen monitoring with the Series 9, though, despite the feature initially being among its offerings. Apple removed the feature last month following a patent dispute. But even without that, the Series 9 is a solid device that offers pretty much everything you’d need or want in a smartwatch.

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Following failed negotiations with TikTok, Universal music has come good on its threat to pull music from the social media platform. That means no more TayTay, no more Drake and no more... all the other artists that fall under its corporate umbrella. Elsewhere, the CEOs of the world's most influential social media platforms got an (at times) genuine grilling from the US Senate. While a few senators managed to come across as, once again, out of touch and out of their depth. X boss Linda Yaccarino might have said the most bizarre thing, stating that the once-Twitter social network was a "brand new company," and that it was looking into parental controls. Twitter was founded in 2006, Linda. 

This week:

🧠💻 Neuralink’s brain chip has been implanted in a human, Elon Musk says

🤑🎸 Universal Music threatens to pull songs from TikTok over payment terms

📱📲 Galaxy S24 Ultra review: Samsung’s AI reinforcements have arrived

Read this:

As mentioned, the CEOs of Meta, Snap, Discord, X and TikTok testified at a high-stakes Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on child exploitation online. Mark Zuckerberg, Evan Spiegel, Jason Citron, Linda Yaccarino, and Shou Chew spent nearly four hours being grilled by lawmakers, but we've managed to condense the main points and the social media executives' responses to them. 

The hearing was the first time Spiegel, Citron and Yaccarino testified to Congress. Notably, according to lawmakers, all three were subpoenaed by the committee after refusing to appear voluntarily. Judiciary Committee Chair Senator Dick Durbin noted that Citron “only accepted services of his subpoena after US Marshals were sent to Discord’s headquarters at taxpayers’ expense.”

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Sometimes you just need a break from Instagram. If you’re ready to delete your Instagram account, you can deactivate or delete it from either a computer or mobile device. In this guide, we’ll walk through the steps involved and also break down the difference between deactivation and deletion.

Malak Saleh

Deactivating vs. deleting Instagram

Deletion is for people who want to permanently remove their account from Instagram. Deletion will not only make your account vanish from the platform, but it means all your likes, photos and videos will be permanently stripped. So if you had a photo where you tagged other accounts , that photo will no longer show up under your friends’ tagged tabs, for example. It’s important to note that deleting your account is irreversible.

In contrast, when you deactivate your account your likes, photos and videos will temporarily be hidden until you reactivate your account. While reactivating your account is as simple as logging back into the app, if you delete your account and decide to return to the app, you will have to create a new account entirely. You can only deactivate your account once a week, meaning if you deactivate your account then decide to relog in within that window, you won't be able to hide your profile again.

How to permanently delete Instagram

In Instagram’s iOS and Android apps, deleting your account is all done through the Settings page. To start, go to your account’s page and tap the icon with three horizontal lines at the top right corner of the screen. Tap the Settings and privacy icon in the dropdown menu at the top of the list. Once you select that icon, you will navigate to a new page with a full list of tools. At the very top of the new Settings page, tap Accounts Center, then select Personal details under Accounts settings. A new page will appear showing your contact information and birthday. Tap “Account ownership and control”’ and then a new tab that reads “Deactivation or Deletion” will appear.

Malak Saleh

If you have more than one Meta account registered to your Instagram, you will have to choose which account you want to deactivate or delete. After you select the profile you want to manage, a new page will open showing you your options. Instagram lets you choose between deactivating or deleting at this point. The page you’re looking at here includes an explanation of the difference between permanently deleting or deactivating your account.

To wit, Instagram will remind you that deleting your account is permanent and that your profile, photos, videos, comments, likes and followers will be permanently removed from the app. Once you tap “Delete account,” a drop-down will appear asking you why you are removing your account. You can select which reason applies to you, such as “Too many ads” or “Too busy/too distracting.” If you do select certain options, such as “Privacy concerns,” Instagram will share articles available through its Help Center designed to address your concerns and persuade you to keep your account active.

Malak Saleh

How to delete or deactivate your Instagram account from a web browser

If you prefer using Instagram on your computer (who does that?!), deleting or deactivating your account from a web browser might be easier for you.

To delete your Instagram account from a computer, the instructions are pretty much the same as when you take action on your mobile device, but some of the drop-downs are in different places. If you're on the Feeds page, select that same icon with three horizontal lines in the bottom left corner of your page. You can also take the same initial step from your profile page and tap the Settings icon in the top right corner of your profile. Either way, you will automatically end up on the Settings page or you can tap to select it from a drop-down after selecting the More button.

Malak Saleh

Tap Account Center and a menu will appear showing you the singular or multiple profiles you manage and all the tools on one page. Instead of selecting “Personal details” as you would on a mobile device, tap “Your information and permissions,” which will open up three drop-down menus, one of which reads “Deactivation or deletion.” Tap and then select the profile you want to deactivate or delete, then select which action you want to proceed with.

Either way, you will be prompted to write your password for that profile if you select to deactivate or delete the account. Finally, you will need to select a reason for deleting or deactivating the account, and then you’re done. Once you select the reason, for a second time, Instagram will ask you to confirm deletion and give you a date that your account details will be permanently deleted off of the platform.

Again, after your request goes through, it can take Meta up to 30 days to delete the account and affiliated information permanently. Meta does warn that during the 30 days pass, your content will remain subject to Instagram’s privacy policy, but your information and profile will not be accessible to other people using Instagram. It also is worth noting that it can take up to 90 days for the deletion process to finish after it gets initiated. So if you're really trying to disappear, it could take a while.

Malak Saleh

New Yorkers can say goodbye — for now — to the robot the New York Police Department (NYPD) used to patrol the Times Square subway station. The Knightscope K5, which is a 400-pound machine that looks like it could be R2-D2's massive sibling, was one of Mayor Eric Adams' high-tech experiments for New York City. It was deployed in a pilot last year ostensibly to help keep commuters safe, but it had no actual capabilities that could be useful in situations that had to be addressed on site. "The K5 Knightscope has completed its pilot in the NYC subway system," a spokesperson for the department told The New York Times. 

The K5 has cameras that can record video and a button that people can press to get in touch with a live agent. It patrolled the station from midnight until 6AM throughout its trial run that lasted for two months, though "patrolled" might be a generous way of putting it. The machine has no arms and can't go up or down the stairs. Commuters told The Times that it usually has a couple of cops with it and that it almost always seemed to be plugged in. 

New York leased the K5 for around $9 an hour during its trial phase that ended in December. "This is below minimum wage," Adams said when he announced the robot's deployment at the Times Square station. "No bathroom breaks, no meal breaks." At the time, privacy advocates had been concerned that the machine could eventually be equipped with facial recognition and other surveillance tools. They no longer have to worry about the K5 being used for surveillance in NYC, unless, of course, city officials decide to keep on leasing it for other purposes. A Knightscope spokesperson told The Times that the company is "not authorized to speak about certain clients," which presumably includes the NYC government.