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AndBeyond.Media appoints Dharika Merchant as company president
MUMBAI: AndBeyond.Media, announced the appointment of former Affinity executive Dharika Merchant to serve as President of the company, effective today. In her role, Merchant – a specialist in business development, product strategy and operations, will be focused on driving the execution of AndBeyond.Media’s strategic plan for expanding the businesses reach globally, and scale new heights with innovation to deliver operational excellence.
With in-depth industry experience, Dharika has had a long and successful track record overseeing and executing business strategy and expansion. She joins AndBeyond.Media from her long-standing stint at Affinity, where she spearheaded business teams and handled a multitude of product portfolios ranging from SEM, PPC and standard display to real-time bidding (RTB) and programmatic media buying. A digital maven with deep seeded skills in mobile marketing and media buying, she has provided her customer acquisition and relationship management expertise to a large spectrum of clients that include Direct Advertisers, Ad Networks, Affiliate Networks and Publishers, and has successfully helped businesses achieve their ambitions.
“As AndBeyond.Media forays into this new chapter of global expansion, I am confident that Dharika will effectively lead the business and help scale the company’s growth to its fullest potential,” said Karan Gupta, Chief Executive Officer at AndBeyond.Media. “Her strong management background and extensive leadership experience makes her the right person to oversee AndBeyond.Media’s future growth plans. Through the various positions she has held over the years, Dharika has proven to be an accomplished and trusted leader and brings to this position a strong reputation for developing teams and inspiring businesses to go beyond the ordinary. Her wealth of experience will truly serve as an asset as we continue to accelerate growth and attain new milestones.”
Talking about her new role Dharika Merchant, President, AndBeyond.Media said, “I’m thrilled to join AndBeyond.Media during this exciting time. AndBeyond.Media’s bespoke technology and solutions, I believe, are some of the finest innovative offerings in the programmatic advertising space. I look forward to working alongside Karan, Pankil and the company’s talented employees, and dedicated partners around the world to expand the reach of the business, drive greater value and challenge the limits of innovation”
“Dharika has built an impressive record of accomplishments through the years. Her proven ability to deliver results makes her the perfect choice to help execute our strategic ambitions and drive scalable, sustainable growth,” added Pankil Mehta, Chief Business Officer, AndBeyond.Media.
Merchant’s appointment comes closely on the heels of the appointment of Ashley King as VP Publisher Development and the launch of the New York City office – last week. These announcements come at a period of rapid expansion for the company’s business globally.
Apple rarely announces minor updates with much fanfare, and iOS 26.4 is no exception. No dramatic redesigns, no flashy keynote moments. What it delivers instead is a focused set of improvements that sharpen the experience you already have. If that sounds underwhelming, spend a week with it. You will change your mind.
Apple Music Learns to Listen Better
The biggest shift in this update lives inside Apple Music. Apple has brought AI-powered playlist generation to the app, and it works on mood rather than genre. Type something like “rainy evening at home” or “running late on a Monday,” and it builds a playlist that actually fits. This is not algorithmic guesswork dressed up in new clothing. It genuinely reads the intent behind vague descriptions and responds well.
Alongside this, a new concerts feature scans your listening history and surfaces live events happening near you. It is a smart bridge between your digital music habits and real-world experiences. Apple is quietly making the case that a music app should do more than just play songs.
Shazam also gets a meaningful upgrade. It can now identify songs without an internet connection. This might sound like a minor convenience, but anyone who has tried to Shazam something at a crowded venue with patchy signal will tell you it is anything but minor. The feature works locally on-device, which also means it is faster.
CarPlay Gets Smarter Controls
CarPlay has been updated with deeper integration for intelligent voice assistants. The goal is to reduce how often drivers need to look at a screen or tap anything at all. You speak, things happen. It is a clear step toward making the driving experience safer without stripping away functionality. The integration feels natural rather than bolted on, which is a harder thing to achieve than it sounds.
The Fixes You Feel Every Day
This is where iOS 26.4 earns its keep. Keyboard responsiveness has been improved, and the difference is noticeable immediately. Typing feels more accurate and less combative. Accessibility features have been refined across the board, with better contrast options and adjusted spacing that makes the interface easier to read without forcing you into larger text sizes.
The Health app has also been updated. It now surfaces more actionable insights from your daily data rather than just displaying numbers. If your sleep patterns have shifted or your activity levels have changed, the app now contextualises that clearly instead of leaving you to interpret raw figures on your own.
These are the kinds of changes that do not photograph well for a press release. They also happen to be the ones that make your phone feel genuinely better to use.
A Few Other Additions
New emojis have been added in this update. They will find their way into your conversations faster than you expect. Family Sharing has also been updated, with more granular control over shared payments and subscriptions. If you share an Apple account with family members, this puts clearer limits on who can spend what, which has been a long-requested fix.
What This Update Actually Represents
iOS 26.4 is Apple doing what it does best when it is not trying to make headlines. Every addition here serves a clear purpose. The AI music features are genuinely useful. The CarPlay improvements address a real safety concern. The small UI fixes accumulate into a noticeably smoother daily experience.
There is no bloat. Nothing feels experimental or half-finished. That discipline is harder to maintain than it looks, especially as operating systems grow more complex with each passing year.
If you have been holding off on updating, this is the one worth installing.
