X (Twitter) has rolled out a set of widgets for its iOS app, enabling users to add feeds to their Home screen as well as a real-time notification count to their Lock Screen.


The Home screen widget offers only one kind, called "X News Highlights," which displays headlines of what's trending on the social media platform. The widget is available in three sizes.

There's more to be said for the Lock Screen widgets, which all come in larger and smaller kinds. "X Notifications" shows the user's notification count, while "X Messages" displays the number of unread messages in X Chat (encrypted DMs). There are also two Grok AI widgets, one for jumping straight into chat and one for voice conversations.

Apple actually teased Twitter Home screen widgets at WWDC 2020 during its iOS 14 preview, but they never came to anything, until now.

X/Twitter used to be the go-to place for breaking news and real-time information, but changes to the platform brought about by owner Elon Musk have been criticised for causing feeds to be increasingly awash with fake accounts, AI slop, and misinformation.
This article, "X App for iOS Now Includes Widgets for Lock Screen and Home Screen" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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Amazon has added a new feature to its Kindle app on iOS that uses artificial intelligence to answer questions about the book you're reading, the company has announced.


Available in the U.S. only, "Ask This Book" is described as an "expert reading assistant" that allows users to highlight any passage in what they are reading and ask questions about plot details, character relationships, and thematic elements. The feature's answers are spoiler-free, revealing information only up to the current reading position. The in-book chatbot is available in books by default, and authors cannot opt out.

"The feature uses technology, including AI, to provide instant, spoiler-free answers to customers' questions about what they're reading," Amazon told PubLunch. "Ask this Book provides short answers based on factual information about the book which are accessible only to readers who have purchased or borrowed the book and are non-shareable and non-copyable."

With the latest Kindle app update installed, readers in the U.S. can find the feature in the in-book menu, or simply highlight any passage and tap "Ask" in the contextual pop-up menu.

Ask This Book is currently limited to English-language books. Amazon plans to add the feature to Kindle devices and Android OS next year.
This article, "Kindle App Now Includes AI Assistant for Character and Plot Questions" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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