iWorld
Times Prime launches ‘OUT & EVOLVING’ podcast
Mumbai: Times Prime, the premier digital membership service in India, commences Pride Month festivities with the launch of its podcast series aiming to uplift LGBTQIA+ mental health. The service has also collaborated with EVOLVE, a leading mental health app, fostering inclusivity and support for the community.
As part of the partnership, Times Prime will offer a complimentary three month Evolve Plus subscription to its members. Evolve Plus is a premium subscription plan that offers access to additional features and resources, including:
● Unlimited access to therapy sessions with qualified therapists
● Access to a library of mental health resources, including articles, videos, and podcasts
● The ability to create a private community with other LGBTQIA+ people In addition to the subscription offer, Times Prime will also launch a new podcast series called “OUT & EVOLVING.” The podcast will feature conversations with LGBTQIA+ community leaders, mental health experts, and everyday people about the challenges and triumphs of living an LGBTQIA+ life.
The first episode of the podcast was released on 15 June. It featured a conversation between Times Prime head of marketing Parul Kaul, EVOLVE co-founder Rohan Arora, and Google head of SMB and PRIDE@Google India chapter lead Abhinav Kishore. The episode focused on the topic of “Beyond Diversity: Embracing Workplace Inclusivity.”
“We are thrilled to partner with Times Prime to raise awareness of the importance of mental health within the LGBTQIA+ community,” said Arora. “By working together, we can help to create a more inclusive and supportive environment for LGBTQIA+ people.”
“We believe that everyone deserves access to quality mental health care,” said Kaul. “Our partnership with EVOLVE is a step towards making that happen for the LGBTQIA+ community.”
The podcast series “OUT & EVOLVING” will be available to stream on Spotify and YouTube.
iWorld
WhatsApp may soon let users to pick who sees their status updates
The messaging giant is borrowing a page from Instagram’s playbook as it pushes to give users finer control over their social circles.
CALIFORNIA: WhatsApp is quietly working on a feature that could make its Status function considerably smarter and considerably more private.
According to reports from beta tracking platforms, the app is testing a tool called Status lists, which would allow users to create named groups such as close friends, family and colleagues, and control precisely which group sees each update. It is a meaningful step up from the platform’s current blunt instruments, which offer only three options: share with all contacts, exclude specific people, or manually select individuals each time.
The new feature draws an obvious comparison with Instagram’s Close Friends function, and the resemblance is unlikely to be accidental. Both platforms sit within Meta’s family, and the company has been nudging them toward a common logic of audience segmentation for some time.
The move also fits neatly into WhatsApp’s broader privacy push. The platform has been rolling out enhanced chat protections and is exploring the introduction of usernames, which would allow users to connect without exchanging phone numbers. Status lists extend that philosophy from messaging into broadcasting.
Meanwhile, Status itself has been evolving well beyond its origins as a simple photo-and-text slideshow. The feature now supports music stickers, collages, longer videos and interactive elements, pushing it closer to the social-media-style story format pioneered by Snapchat and refined by Instagram. In that context, finer audience controls are not merely a privacy feature. They are a precondition for people sharing more.
The feature remains in development and has not been confirmed for release. WhatsApp routinely tests tools that are later modified or quietly shelved. But the direction of travel is clear: the app wants Status to be a destination, not an afterthought. Letting users decide exactly who is in the audience is how it gets there.
