All articles tagged with #web
WhatsApp now supports encrypted audio and video calls on the web, enabling one-on-one and group calls without installing the app. New features include cross-device call transfer, a waiting room for group calls with approval, background-noise reduction, faster HD video, screen sharing, reactions, and access to favorites and call history, with the rollout being gradual.
Anthropic is bringing Claude Cowork to mobile and the web, enabling Claude to start and monitor tasks across web, desktop, and mobile apps. It can run in the cloud and finish tasks even when a device is offline, with a combined Claude chat/Cowork view now on all platforms and doubled Cowork usage limits through August 5.
Google Earth now offers a browser-based flight simulator that’s globally accessible. Accessible via Explore Earth > Tools, the feature is experimental and aimed at casual exploration rather than high-fidelity training.
Google Earth’s hidden desktop flight simulator is now accessible in your browser without any install, by opening Google Earth and selecting Flight Simulator from the Explore Earth tools; for a photorealistic view switch the basemap to Satellite, and while the experience isn’t as deep as Microsoft Flight Simulator it’s still playable with keyboard/mouse controls and a reset option if you crash.
At Google I/O 2026, Google promotes AI Mode as the end-to-end AI search experience, but the piece argues it risks cannibalizing the open web by steering traffic to Google-owned properties, embedding AI-generated answers with citations, and potentially diminishing external referrals and source visibility, raising questions about user choice and accountability.
Sir Tim Berners-Lee reflects on how the World Wide Web, once a free, democratic platform, has diverged due to commercialization and social media dominance. He advocates a user-centric move back to data sovereignty via the Solid protocol, warns that current AI development needs guardrails, and notes experimental policies like Australia’s under-16 social media ban while imagining a collaborative 'CERN for AI' to ensure safety and accountability.
Apple has launched a new App Store for the web, expanding its digital distribution platform beyond traditional app stores, allowing users to access and install apps via web browsers.
Anthropic has expanded its Claude Code coding tool to web and mobile platforms, allowing developers to initiate and manage coding workflows remotely with enhanced security and real-time control, boosting productivity and revenue.
The article discusses how AI and large language models are transforming the web and online communities, leading to declines in traditional platforms like Stack Overflow and Reddit, raising concerns about the future of knowledge sharing, community, and the quality of information. It highlights issues such as gatekeeping, content gatekeepers, the impact of AI on search and content discovery, and the potential for AI to both kill and revive aspects of the web, while also touching on societal and economic implications.
AI is shifting from chatbots to web browsers as the next phase of development, with new tools like Perplexity’s Comet and ChatGPT’s Agent enabling AI to access and interact with online data and services, although these are still in early, unreliable stages and are currently limited to premium users.
Google Home for web is now widely available, offering the ability to view camera history and create custom video clips. Users can review history with event and timeline views, search for specific dates, and download clips. The feature is optimized for a keyboard and mouse. Custom clips can be created by selecting start times and adjusting clip length, with a download option available. This functionality will also roll out in the Google Home mobile app in the coming weeks, with support for various Nest camera models. Additionally, Google Home for web will support a version of Public Preview for trying features before broader availability.
Google Pay on the web has received a Material 3 redesign, featuring a blue background and accent color for the side drawer, a new toggle style, and preferences for emails and privacy under Settings. The update allows users to view recent transactions, see saved payment methods, and access a unified "Transactions" view. The redesign also includes support for purchases made using Google Wallet for Wear OS. The rollout date for this redesign is unclear.
Google Messages for web has received updated branding with the addition of the four-color 'G' in front of "Messages" and now features animated emoji in SMS and RCS conversations. The animated emoji loop for a few seconds before ending and are no longer housed in a message bubble, appearing directly in the background. This update aligns with Google's efforts to solidify its consumer messaging strategy and is widely rolled out on all clients except phones.
Instagram's Threads now allows users to quote posts on the web, addressing a missing feature since its launch in August. Users can click the two arrows icon and select the "quote" option to quote a post. Additionally, mobile users can now follow a thread and receive notifications, although this feature may not be available to all iOS users yet. These incremental updates aim to make Threads a viable alternative to Twitter, but it still has room for improvement in capturing the real-time nature of Twitter.
Meta, formerly known as Facebook, is expanding its 3D social platform, Horizon Worlds, beyond virtual reality (VR) and making it available on mobile and the web in early access. Initially, users will only be able to play Super Rumble, but more worlds will be rolled out in the coming months. Meta aims to make the metaverse accessible to everyone, regardless of the device they use, and sees this expansion as a step towards that vision. The company had previously discussed the mobile and web versions of Horizon Worlds and will likely provide more details at its Connect conference later this month.