Besides the widget shortcut, Google is making AI Mode faster to access with one-tap search on Android and iOS. Previously, launching AI Mode from the shortcut beneath the Search bar in the Google app or widget would bring you to an introductory homepage. You’d then have to touch the “Ask AI Mode” field before you could start typing. Opening AI Mode now immediately takes you to the input box with the keyboard open. The header just shows the ‘G’ logo (and close button), while the suggested queries carousel disappears after you enter text for a minimalist look. With the previous homepage no longer available, you cannot quickly access conversation history. Google tells us to soon expect direct access from the text field. One-tap AI Mode access is live on both Google for Android and iOS. On the latter platform, Google has introduced a very slick animation. Tapping the AI Mode button will expand the usual Search field to encompass your entire screen as the keyboard pops up. As this occurs, there’s a four-color glow around the expanding perimeter that looks very nice. It fades out just as everything settles, while closing AI Mode also results in a visual effect. There’s no equivalent animation on Android right now, but there are other colorful touches.
Eppo, a feature flagging and experimentation platform offers “confidence intervals” to make it easier to understand and interpret the results of a randomized app experiments and different versions of apps and models
Datadog has acquired Eppo, a feature-flagging and experimentation platform. Despite the demand for tools that let developers experiment with different versions of apps, the infrastructure required for product analytics remains relatively complex to build. Beyond data pipelines and statistical methods, experimentation infrastructure relies on analytics workflows often sourced from difficult-to-configure cloud environments. Eppo will continue supporting existing customers and bringing on new ones under the brand “Eppo by Datadog.” Eppo offers “confidence intervals” to make it easier to understand and interpret the results of a randomized app experiment. The platform supports experimentation with AI and machine learning models, leveraging techniques to perform live experiments that show whether one model is outperforming another. Eppo co-founder and CEO Che Sharma said “With Datadog, we are uniting product analytics, feature management, AI, and experimentation capabilities for businesses to reduce risk, learn quickly, and ship high-quality products.” For Datadog, the Eppo buy could bolster the company’s current product analytics solutions. “The use of multiple AI models increases the complexity of deploying applications in production,” Michael Whetten, VP of Product at Datadog, said. “Experimentation solves this correlation and measurement problem, enabling teams to compare multiple models side-by-side, determine user engagement against cost tradeoffs, and ultimately build AI products that deliver measurable value.”
Over 2/3rd of Gen Z respondents are memorizing card numbers to make online shopping easier, while 20% of baby boomers are doing so to specifically avoid using digital wallets
A survey from Western & Southern Financial Group found that nearly a third of Americans surveyed have memorized at least one debit or credit card number. What’s more, 20% of respondents who know their card numbers spend more than $500 per month online, compared to just 13% of those who haven’t. They also carry, on average, 10% more debt than non-memorizers. The survey found a significant generation gap, with almost half of respondents who memorize their card numbers falling into the millennial group. Overall, more than a third of millennials have memorized at least one card number. The reasons people gave for memorizing their numbers also varied across generations. More than two-thirds of Gen Z respondents said they did so to make online shopping easier, while, 20% of baby boomers memorized their card numbers specifically to avoid using digital wallets. Gen Z was also the most likely to feel that knowing their card numbers led to more impulse buying and overspending. In contrast, a third of the baby boomers were the most likely to report that memorizing their card numbers had improved their financial discipline. There is some evidence that memorization goes hand in hand with responsible behavior. A total of 70% of memorizers checked their credit card or bank statements at least weekly, compared to 61% of non-memorizers. However, impulse buying was also slightly more common among memorizers. Roughly 26% made unplanned purchases, compared to 23% of non-memorizers. Memorizers were also somewhat more likely to shop when stressed.
Gmail’s new ‘Manage subscriptions’ page lists out email addresses and names for your email subscriptions and allows users to unsubscribe from email subscriptions with a single clickout
Gmail is rolling out a handy new “Manage subscriptions” page that allows users to unsubscribe from email subscriptions with a single tap, though it appears to only be on Android so far. A notice in the app shows to inform users of the new option, with a “Manage subscriptions” button in the overflow menu. The new page, which was previously spotted just over a year ago, lists out email addresses and names for your email subscriptions. It also shows how many emails were sent “recently.” A button to the right side of the display then allows users to quickly unsubscribe from emails from that sender. In our testing so far, this generally works in a single click, though a small number of the ones we tried did pop up a browsing window to complete the process. Google adds that it “can take senders a few days to stop sending messages” after you use the unsubscribe shortcut.
Gboard’s new design to feature iOS keyboard’s version of ‘flicking’ keys to enter symbols in the form of a toggle
According to an APK teardown done by Android Authority, an upcoming beta version of Gboard looks to be bringing on a few new features. The biggest one is something we see in Apple’s version of a digital keyboard. When typing, swiping down or “flicking” a key will pull down a symbol or number, allowing you to easily select a secondary character without having to break up momentum to tap and hold. The action comes naturally after some practice and works phenomenally well, if executed correctly. In Gboard, this new feature is found in a toggle labeled “flick keys to enter symbols.” It’s unclear whether this feature will work with numbers in the top row of the keyboard or only symbols. It’d be a little nonsensical to allow for only symbols to be “flicked” into the text bar. It’s also strange that this feature borrows terminology from iOS, though “flicking” would imply an upward swipe, not a downward one as described. Gboard is also adding a toggle for keeping the number row active in password layouts. This is accompanied by prompt entry in the writing tools tab, as well as rounded keys in Gboard.
Customer engagement platform for banks adapts to each bank’s policies, user roles and app structure, and transforms natural language requests into direct in-app action by instantly linking user intent to the right screen, step or solution
WaveCX, provider of personalized, digital product engagement solutions for financial institutions, launched Curator Command, a major advancement in digital banking user experience (UX) that transforms natural language requests into direct in-app action. Built as an extension of the Curator platform, Curator Command expands on its AI-driven, semantic search capabilities, moving beyond simply understanding user intent to acting on it. Digital banking users often face friction when trying to complete basic tasks, including navigating complex menus, disconnected flows and overloaded support teams. Curator Command eliminates this friction by instantly connecting user intent to the right screen, step or solution, streamlining task completion and reducing reliance on manual navigation. The system enables customers and employees to type requests in plain language, understands the intent, reads app structure and real-time context, and activates the appropriate response. Curator Command adapts to each financial institution’s policies, user roles and app structure, rather than relying on prebuilt workflows or manually tagged flows. The platform reads the interface, understands user context and delivers accurate results from day one. Key benefits for financial institutions include: Reduced support volume and faster resolution; Increased adoption of digital tools and services; Faster onboarding and lower training costs; and A more responsive and intuitive user experience.
Pinwheel’s pre-integration with Q2’s digital banking platform’s SDK enables instant direct deposit switching within account onboarding journey in 1-click
Pinwheel announced an integration with Q2’s Digital Banking Platform, via the Q2 Partner Accelerator Program. Q2 Holdings, is a leading provider of digital transformation solutions for banking and lending. With this integration via the Q2 Digital Banking Platform, banks and credit unions can provide consumers with instant direct deposit switching within their account onboarding journey. Pinwheel’s integration with the Q2 Digital Banking Platform means all Q2 customers can embed 1-click deposit switching. The Q2 Partner Accelerator program through the Q2 Innovation Studio allows in-demand financial services companies leveraging the Q2 SDK to pre-integrate their technology to the Q2 Digital Banking Platform. This enables financial institutions to work with these partners, purchase their solutions and rapidly deploy their standardized integrations to their customers. “Removing friction from the deposit switching process is critical for financial institutions to boost activation rates and secure primacy,” said Brian Karimi-Pashaki, Head of Revenue at Pinwheel. “Q2 customers can take advantage of Pinwheel Deposit Switch by making it available through Q2’s Partner Accelerator Program.”
Amount’s platform enhancements allow banks and credit unions to pend certain deposit growth, risk management, compliance, and credit decisioning applications for manual review instead of automatically declining them, to support long-term customer relationships
Amount announced a suite of powerful platform enhancements designed to give banks and credit unions greater control over deposit growth, risk management, compliance, and credit decisioning. Each enhancement reflects direct feedback from Amount’s banking and credit union clients and addresses real-world challenges including adapting credit strategy and navigating regulatory and risk pressures. The platform enhancements also support relationship-driven banking models by allowing institutions to pend certain applications for manual review instead of automatically declining them. This flexibility is particularly valuable for credit unions and community banks that prioritize long-term customer relationships even in cases where traditional data sources may fall short. New capabilities available in this release include: Real-time custom rule builder, Customizable pricing and credit line strategies, Faster, more secure bank account verification. With self-service controls embedded directly in the platform, banks and credit unions can rapidly update risk, eligibility, and pricing logic without filing a change request or waiting on implementation cycles.
Ibanera’s onboarding and AML compliance solution adopts a layered and tokenized design that replaces sensitive data with unique identifiers and makes compliance traceable and verifiable across complex networks of users
Digital banking platform Ibanera announced the launch of its ‘Nested Compliance’. Produced by the company CEO, Michael Carbonara, the infrastructure directly combats current risks faced by the Fintech and Banking as a Service (BaaS) industry. The framework differs from current financial compliance processes by automating KYC and AML processes while adopting a layered and tokenized design that embeds compliance across its vast customer network. Ibanera’s new Nested Compliance concept introduces high-level automation for KYC and AML processes for operational efficiency. The upgraded system uses API-driven, real-time compliance monitoring with early warning triggers for expiring KYC, automated counterparty verification, and embedded reporting to speed up processes and keep detailed records for audit purposes. The framework also debuts a unique design that tokenizes compliance. Sensitive data is replaced with unique identifiers, minimizing PII (Personally Identifiable Information) exposure risk. The tokenized design also creates a system where compliance is traceable and verifiable across complex networks of users, simplifying financial relationships and the overall compliance process. Through this, layered transactions are secure, monitored, and compliant with FATF, FINCEN, and global Anti-Money Laundering (AML) regulations. The new Nested Compliance protocol is being rolled out on Ibanera’s ecosystem this year and is available for customers and partners. Key updates include real-time risk assessments of counterparty data, along with ongoing AML checks to prevent illicit activities within nested payment structures.