Applications
Hutch launches a phone back-up service
MUMBAI: Telecom service provider Hutch has announced the first of its kind phone back up service for its customers. Hutch customers subscribing to this service no longer have to worry about losing their contacts and phone numbers if they lose their mobile phone. |
This service will not only help Hutch customers save critical phone book data, but also preserve SMS, MMS, ringtones, games, photos, videos, etc and also help switch phones seamlessly plus restore data on a new phone and a lot more. |
Hutch customers can take their phone back up in two ways – through GPRS enabled phones as well as through SMS on non-GPRS phones. Hutch customers need to SMS BACKUP to 52585 and receive a service message to activate and use this service. Once installed, the application automatically backs up data from the customer’s phone to a server and the customer can access this data with the help of a username/ password generated by the application. This application is currently supported by 84 different GPRS enabled handsets. Details of the handsets can be got by logging on to www.hutch.in. The Hutch Phone Back-up service works on all other non-GPRS phones through SMS. The cost of subscribing to the phone back-up is Rs.50/- per month for GPRS users, while it is Rs.30/- per month for non-GPRS users, who access this service through SMS. GPRS users can create a back-up for their phone book as well as SMS, MMS, ringtones, games, photos and videos etc., whereas non-GPRS users can only back up their phone book data. When the customer switches to a new phone, they will just have to send Restore to 52585 and all the information on their contact numbers will be sent to the new handset. Hutch customers can additionally restore applications, tones, wallpapers, photos, videos etc. from the web interface. To unsubscribe from the service, Hutch customers will need to send UNSUB Backup to 52585 and the data will be deleted after being preserved for seven days. 52585 will be a toll-free number and customers will not have to incur any cost to send messages to this number. Hutch marketing director Harit Nagpal said, “The facility that Hutch customers can now save critical phone data despite losing their handsets is a first in the industry. This service will offer tremendous convenience to our customers in situations where their handsets get lost or damaged, leading to loss of phone numbers, contact details and other critical data.” |
Applications
With 57 per cent single new users, Ashley Madison rebrands as discreet dating platform
Platform says majority of new members now identify as single
INDIA: Ashley Madison is shedding the “married-dating” label that defined it for two decades, repositioning itself as a platform for discreet dating in what it calls the post-social media age.
The rebrand, unveiled in India on 27 February, 2026, marks a structural shift in business model and identity. Once synonymous with married dating, the company now describes itself as the “premier destination for discreet dating” under a new tagline: Where Desire Meets Discretion.
The pivot is data-driven. Internal figures show that 57 per cent of global sign-ups between 1 January and 31 December, 2025 identified as single: a notable departure from the platform’s married core. The company argues that its community has already evolved beyond its original positioning.
“In an age where our lives have been constantly put on public display, privacy has become the new luxury,” said Ashley Madison chief strategy officer Paul Keable. He framed the platform’s offering as “ethical discretion” for singles, separated, divorced and non-monogamous users seeking private connections.
The shift also taps into wider digital fatigue. A global survey conducted by YouGov for Ashley Madison, covering 13,071 adults across Australia, Brazil, Canada, Germany, India, Italy, Mexico, Spain, Switzerland, the UK and the US, found mounting discomfort with hyper-public online lives.
Among dating app users, 30 per cent cited constant swiping and messaging as a source of fatigue, while 24 per cent pointed to pressure to curate public-facing profiles and early personal disclosure. Some 27 per cent said fears of screenshots or information being shared contributed to exhaustion; an equal share cited unwanted attention.
The retreat from oversharing appears broader. According to the survey, 46 per cent of adults actively try to keep most aspects of their life private online. Only 8 per cent feel comfortable sharing most aspects publicly, while 35 per cent say they are becoming more selective about what they disclose.
Ashley Madison is betting that this cultural recalibration towards controlled visibility can be monetised. By doubling down on privacy infrastructure and reframing itself around discretion rather than infidelity, the company is attempting to convert reputational baggage into a premium proposition.
