Applications
LINE launches group call app globally on Android
MUMBAI: LINE has launched a free group call app called Popcorn Buzz that allows up to 200 participants to simultaneously converse on Android.
Popcorn Buzz offers group call functionality, which is being touted as a replacement for existing paid business-grade conference call services. For users that need to talk to multiple people at once, Popcorn Buzz accommodates both personal and business usage, all for free.
Anyone can get started with Popcorn Buzz by choosing a username and uploading a profile picture. By sending out each group call’s unique URL via email, text message, or another communication method of the user’s choice, they can start making group calls with friends without any delay. Additionally, existing LINE users can log in to Popcorn Buzz with their LINE account to immediately synchronize their friends list data and get started making group calls with their LINE friends right away.
During group calls, users can see all the other call members’ icons, and tell who is talking via the green dots that light up in the lower right-hand corner of current talking users’ icons.
An iPhone release is also planned, along with implementation of additional features like group video chat, interconnectivity with LINE groups, and more in the future.
The app supports multiple languages like Arabic, Brazilian Portuguese, Chinese, English, French, German, Indonesian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Malay, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Thai, Turkish, and Vietnamese.
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.
