Applications
Google to kill its 5 products
MUMBAI: The internet giant Google has announced closure of few of its products including -iGoogle, Google Mini, Google Talk Chatback, Google video, and Symbian Search App.
The search engine company had started a “spring clean” last year, and since then it has closed or combined more than 30 products.
The personalised Google page, iGoogle, will cease from 1 November 2013. “We originally launched iGoogle in 2005 before anyone could fully imagine the ways that today‘s web and mobile apps would put personalised, real-time information at your fingertips,” Google‘s official blog read.
The company feels that with modern apps running on platforms like Chrome and Android, the need for iGoogle has eroded over time, so it is winding it down. The users will have 16 months to adjust or export their data.
Google Mini, which was also introduced in 2005, had a good run, but beginning 31 July the product will be discontinued because its functionality can be better provided by products like Google Search Appliance, Google Site Search and Google Commerce Search. “We will of course continue to provide technical support to Mini customers for the duration of their contracts, and will reach out to them shortly with more details,” the company said.
Google Talk Chatback allowed websites to embed a Google Talk widget so that they could engage with their visitors. Google feels that it is now outdated and hence it is turning off Chatback and encouraging websites to use the Meebo bar.
Google Video is also shutting down on 20 August and users have time till then to migrate, delete or download their content. It had stopped taking uploads in May 2009. Google will be moving the remaining hosted content to YouTube as private videos that users can access in the YouTube video manager.
The company will also be retiring Symbian Search App to focus efforts on mobile web search experience. “Switching from the app to the web experience will enable users to make the most of the web-wide improvements we make for search all the time,” Google said.
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.
