Spotifyβs reserved ticket sales to music superfans are now going live TechCrunch By:Sarah Perez 18 June 2026 at 18:00 Spotify is launching "Reserved," a new system that will hold two concert tickets for an artist's superfans before they're on sale to the public.
Pixiβs new iOS app turns text messages into interactive AR experiences TechCrunch By:Lauren Forristal 18 June 2026 at 16:00 Forget stickers, GIFs, and emoji reactions. Pixi is betting that the next evolution of messaging is interactive augmented reality (AR).
Mastodon looks to newsletters to help revive the open social web TechCrunch By:Sarah Perez 17 June 2026 at 21:38 Mastodonβs newly launched newsletter feature lets anyone subscribe to creators by email, even without a Mastodon account.
Google bets on Gemini to reinvent the smart home speaker TechCrunch By:Sarah Perez 17 June 2026 at 20:30 Google is betting generative AI can breathe new life into the smart speaker. The company's new $99.99 Google Home Speaker replaces the rigid commands of the Google Assistant era with more conversational Gemini interactions.