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Snapchat Launches Sponsored Snaps in India; AJIO Becomes First Brand Partner

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Snapchat has introduced Sponsored Snaps in India, a new ad format that allows brands to send full-screen vertical video ads directly into users’ chat inboxes. Reliance Retail’s AJIO is the first Indian brand to adopt this format, leveraging Snapchat’s reach among Gen Z and Millennials for immersive storytelling and call-to-action campaigns.

What Are Sponsored Snaps?

Sponsored Snaps appear as unread messages in the Chat tab, offering users the option to open, reply, or click on embedded links. If left unopened, these ads disappear automatically. Introduced in the U.S. in October 2024, this format is designed to maximize engagement and visibility while maintaining user privacy by avoiding push notifications.

AJIO’s Role

AJIO is using Sponsored Snaps to promote its latest fashion collections. Arpan Biswas, Chief Marketing Officer at AJIO, highlighted the format’s ability to connect organically with digital-first consumers and foster deeper engagement with Snapchat’s active community.

Strategic Importance for Snapchat

India, with over 200 million monthly active users, is a key market for Snapchat’s growth. Neha Jolly Sawhney, Head of Ad Monetization for Snap India, emphasized that Sponsored Snaps align with Gen Z’s preference for visually rich content and offer brands an immersive way to interact with mobile-first audiences.

Future Prospects

Snapchat plans to enhance Sponsored Snaps with AI-driven features like personalized recommendations and direct transactions. This launch positions Snapchat as a strong competitor in India’s digital advertising space, challenging giants like Google and Meta.

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Paytm Grants ₹16.7 Crore ESOPs To Employees Under 2019 Stock Option Plan

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Paytm parent One 97 Communications has granted fresh employee stock options (ESOPs) worth about ₹16.7 crore to eligible staff under its 2019 ESOP scheme, highlighting a stronger push toward employee ownership and retention. The grant covers 1,23,908 options, each convertible into one equity share with an exercise price of ₹9, significantly below the prevailing market price. At Paytm’s recent share price levels, this translates into a notional value of around ₹16.6–16.7 crore for employees.​

The ESOPs are designed to align employee incentives with Paytm’s long-term growth, giving high-performing team members a direct stake in future value creation. As the options vest and are exercised, eligible employees can participate in potential upside from Paytm’s expanding fintech and payments ecosystem, subject to standard ESOP vesting conditions. The company has also confirmed that the scheme complies with SEBI’s share-based benefit regulations.​

This ESOP grant comes soon after Paytm’s payments arm secured key RBI approvals to operate as a payment aggregator across online, offline and cross-border transactions, strengthening its regulated payments stack. Coupled with rising operating revenues, the fresh stock options signal management’s continued focus on attracting and retaining top talent even as profitability remains under pressure. For SEO, key phrases around “Paytm ESOP grant,” “₹16.7 crore employee stock options,” and “One 97 Communications employee ownership” capture the core update for search and news discovery.

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Apple’s iOS 18.7 vs iOS 26: Which Update Should You Choose for Your iPhone in 2025?

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Apple’s recent iOS 18.7 rollout provides a secure alternative to the visually revamped iOS 26, empowering iPhone users to choose between system stability and next-generation features. While iOS 18.7 focuses on important security updates and bug fixes, it maintains the familiar iOS experience for users of older devices like iPhone XS, XS Max, XR, and SE models up to the 16e. The update is lightweight—about one-fifteenth the size of iOS 26—which means quicker downloads and less storage consumption. It’s designed for reliability and fast installation, making it ideal for users who prioritize a stable and secure operating system over design changes.

In contrast, iOS 26 introduces Apple’s ambitious “Liquid Glass” interface with a transparent look across apps, enhanced widget and lock screen customization, smarter Siri, and improved camera controls. These innovations, however, come with a larger update size and compatibility exclusive to newer iPhones beginning from the iPhone 11 series. While early adopters can enjoy the futuristic interface and AI-powered upgrades, major OS launches may present initial bugs or app compatibility issues that cautious users typically wish to avoid.

Choosing between iOS 18.7 and iOS 26 depends on each user’s priorities—those seeking guaranteed stability and fast security fixes should consider sticking with iOS 18.7, while users excited about premium features and visual changes should migrate to iOS 26 if their device supports it. Both updates are available through Software Update settings, and Apple will support iOS 18.7 for only a limited duration, eventually encouraging all users to transition to the latest platform. This dual update strategy ensures every iPhone user can safely update their device for a seamless and secure experience in 2025.

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Apple’s iOS 26 to Automatically Pause FaceTime Calls Upon Nudity Detection

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Apple IOS 26

Apple’s upcoming iOS 26 introduces a new privacy-focused safety feature for FaceTime that automatically pauses both video and audio calls when nudity is detected on camera. This feature, discovered in the iOS 26 developer beta, is part of Apple’s expanded Communication Safety suite aimed primarily at protecting children from exposure to inappropriate content during live video chats. When nudity is detected, FaceTime freezes the call and displays a warning message, allowing users to either resume or end the call.

The nudity detection runs entirely on-device using advanced machine learning, ensuring that no images or videos are sent to Apple’s servers, thereby preserving user privacy. Although originally designed for child accounts as part of family safety tools announced at WWDC 2025, the feature currently appears active on all accounts in the beta version, including adults, which has sparked discussion about its broader application. Apple stresses that this local processing method keeps user data private while providing real-time protection against sensitive content during FaceTime calls.

Alongside this new safety measure, iOS 26 brings several other updates across the Apple ecosystem, including a new Liquid Glass design and enhancements to Messages, Wallet, and CarPlay. While the FaceTime nudity detection feature has not yet been confirmed for the final public release, its presence in the beta underscores Apple’s commitment to balancing user safety with privacy in an increasingly connected world. The full rollout later this year will clarify how widely the feature will be applied and whether users will have control over its activation

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