All articles tagged with #ads
YouTube is expanding its Premium Lite plan by adding background playback and offline downloads, letting most non-music videos be watched ad-free offline and in the background. Lite costs $7.99/month in the US (Premium is $13.99) and previously didn’t include these features; Shorts still have ads and some videos aren’t fully ad-free on Lite. The rollout starts today and may take a few weeks to reach all users.
YouTube Premium Lite is gaining background playback and offline downloads, letting you play videos while using other apps and save content for offline viewing. The perks are rolling out at no extra charge with Lite, but ad-free viewing still requires the full YouTube Premium plan ($13.99/month); most videos are ad-free on Lite, though some content (music, Shorts, and browse/search results) may still show ads.
The Super Mario Bros. Movie is now available to watch online for free with ads on Fandango, ahead of its sequel’s release, with no subscription required.
OpenAI began testing ads in ChatGPT for Free and Go users, with Plus/Pro subscribers spared for now; ads will be clearly labeled and not influence answers, though they may be targeted by chat history. Anthropic criticizes the plan as potentially harming usefulness and engagement, while OpenAI argues ads are a sustainable way to support free access.
Tom’s Guide highlights ten standout Super Bowl 2026 commercials to date, ranking the spots from DoorDash’s Beef 101 with 50 Cent to Pringles with Sabrina Carpenter, plus Edgar-worthy bits from Hellmann’s Andy Samberg as a deli-cryptid, Skittles’ Elijah Wood fairy, Ritz Island with Bowen Yang, Kellogg’s Raisin Bran with William Shatner, OIKOS with Kathryn Hahn, Ramp’s Multiply featuring Brian Baumgartner, and Amazon’s Chris Hemsworth Alexa+. The piece notes more spots to come and offers a running tally of the best commercials seen so far ahead of the game.
WhatsApp is reportedly testing a paid, ad-free subscription option that would remove ads from status updates and channels. The core messaging features would remain free, but the €4/month plan could also hide channel suggestions; rollout timing is not yet clear.
Telly’s model of giving away dual-screen TVs that show nonstop ads has run into serious delivery and fulfillment problems. After planning to ship 500,000 units in 2023, a quarterly investor update indicates only about 35,000 sets had been delivered by the end of 2025, with reports that roughly 10% of FedEx shipments arrived broken. The startup had generated interest, including 250,000 pre-orders in 2023, but ongoing logistical issues have hampered progress and there was no comment from Telly on the reported figures.
Instabridge has acquired Nova Launcher and says it will keep the Android launcher stable and maintained, while evaluating ad-based options for the free version. The latest update includes trackers for Facebook Ads and Google AdMob, and some users report seeing ads; the paid Nova Launcher Prime will remain ad-free. Instabridge is also considering open-sourcing the project, though no decision has been announced yet.
Microsoft is nearing public testing of a free ad-supported Xbox Cloud Gaming option, offering about 1 hour of playtime per session (up to five hours per month) with preroll ads. The service will let you stream some games you own, plus eligible Free Play Days and Retro Classics titles, and an official announcement is expected in the coming weeks.
OpenAI will begin testing ads in ChatGPT responses on the free tier and the new ChatGPT Go plan, with ads appearing under the main reply, clearly labeled and not influencing the answers. Advertisers won’t access conversations, and OpenAI will use some personalization data to match ads to topics. Non-ad tiers Plus, Pro, Business, and Enterprise remain ad-free. The Financial Times reports expected ad revenue in the low billions for 2026.
Windows Central reports Microsoft is exploring an ad-supported Xbox Cloud Gaming tier expected this year; a test message mentioning '1 hour of ad supported play time per session' appeared but is thought to be an error, with ads allegedly shown to players who buy games digitally but don’t have Game Pass. The move could broaden access and support Azure data centers, potentially expanding to regions like India, but there’s no official confirmation yet.
OpenAI will begin testing bottom-of-answer banner ads in ChatGPT for US users on the free tier and the new $8/month ChatGPT Go plan, while higher-tier subscribers won’t see ads. Ads are to be labeled and separated from responses and won’t influence ChatGPT’s outputs or user conversations. The move aims to diversify revenue as OpenAI faces substantial operating costs and expects billions in spending, though the company insists ads are a supplementary revenue stream rather than a core change in the user experience.
Duolingo was found to be using Apple's Dynamic Island feature on iPhones to display ads, which violates Apple's design guidelines.
Apple is expanding its advertising in the App Store by adding more ad placements in search results, which will appear further down the page starting in 2026, aiming to increase opportunities for app promotion without requiring campaign changes.
Samsung is introducing ads on its $2,000 Family Hub smart fridges through a new widget that displays curated ads alongside news, weather, and calendar features, starting November 3rd in the US. Users can turn off the ads, but the move raises concerns about privacy, trust, and the future of intrusive advertising in smart home devices, despite Samsung's claims that the ads will be non-personal and responsible.