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Welcome to the Week in Review. This week, we look at the effects of the impending TikTok ban in the US, including “TikTok refugees” switching to Chinese app RedNote, the rise of English speakers learning Mandarin on Duolingo, and more! Let’s enter.
The Supreme Court upheld the law this will happen effectively ban TikTok tomorrow. The ruling marks the end of TikTok’s months-long legal battle against the law, which essentially forced the app to shut down unless it divested from its US operations. Starting Sunday, it will be illegal for app stores and web hosting services to distribute TikTok. The company warned that the app would “go dark” on Sunday, but it’s unclear exactly what will happen when the ban takes effect.
American users are flocking to RedNotea Chinese short form video app Also known as Xiaohongshu, making it the #1 free app in the US App Store. RedNote hits a lot of the right notes for creators looking for a TikTok alternative: It has a Pinterest-like layout, is commonly thought of as China’s answer to Instagram, and has a number of social shopping features. But the transition it has not been easy for some.
TikTok users use Duolingo A growing number will learn Chinese amid the adoption of RedNote before the TikTok ban. According to Duolingo, the program saw an increase of about 216% in new Mandarin learners Compared to this time last year in the US, there was a sharp increase in RedNote adoption in mid-January.
It’s TechCrunch’s Week in Review, where we recap the week’s biggest news stories. Want this delivered to your inbox every Saturday as a newsletter? Register here.
News
Mark Cuban wants to fund the next TikTok: The entrepreneur and investor said he is ready to fund a TikTok alternative based on Bluesky’s AT Protocol, signaling the potential of an open social network powered by the same technology that powers Bluesky’s social network. Read more
Bluesky acquires photo sharing app: An independent developer is building a photo-sharing app called Flashes for Bluesky. When the app launches, it could tap into growing consumer demand for alternatives to Big Tech’s social media monopoly. Read more
“ChatGPT, remind me to pay my taxes”: OpenAI has a new way to make ChatGPT work for you. Paid users of ChatGPT can now ask the AI assistant to schedule reminders or recurring requests in a new beta feature called Tasks. Read more
How to break up with Meta: After Meta’s decision to remove its third-party fact-checking system and relax its content moderation policies, more people are searching for how to delete Facebook, Instagram, and Threads. We have prepared a useful guide. Read more
UnitedHealth hides a data breach notification: Change Healthcare, which lost more than 100 million people’s sensitive health data in a ransomware attack last year, said it had finished notifying those affected — but we found UnitedHealth withheld its breach notification for months. Read more
Nintendo finally announces the Switch 2: Nintendo has shared the first images of the successor to the wildly popular Nintendo Switch, featuring a larger display, updated Joy-Con controllers and a larger console with a less colorful design than its predecessor. Read more
Sonos CEO quits: Sonos CEO Patrick Spence is leaving the company after eight years on the job following a botched update to the software platform that was riddled with bugs and removed some long-standing features. Read more
Looking for a TikTok replacement? Try these: While not a 1:1 replacement for TikTok, there are some decent options that offer a similar experience. We’ve put together a list of different apps worth checking out to scratch that itch. Read more
Even AI doesn’t like to be interrupted: Google NotebookLM’s AI-generated podcast feature needs some “friendly tuning” after it was found to be “hostile” and inflexible when interrupted by callers. Read more
Apple AI stops notification summaries: The company is facing backlash for creating inaccurate news alerts on news and entertainment programs. Apple said it’s also making changes to summaries across the board to allow for more transparency. Read more
OpenAI is getting into the local news game: Axios has announced a partnership with OpenAI. As part of the agreement, OpenAI will fund the expansion of Axios’ local newsletters in four new cities: Pittsburgh, Kansas City, Boulder and Huntsville. Read more
Convert steps to screen time: A new iOS app has been called Steppin blocks your social media apps if you don’t take a certain number of steps each day. By achieving daily step goals, users can unlock time on their most used social media platforms. Read more
