A major disruption hit digital payments in India as users faced issues with UPI transactions. Popular platforms like PhonePe and Paytm stopped working, leaving many unable to complete payments. The outage caused frustration among users relying on these apps for daily transactions. “NPCI had faced intermittent technical issues owing to which UPI had partial decline. The same has been addressed now and the system has stabilised. Regret the inconvenience,” said the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI), the government-owned retail payments and settlement systems operator.  As per DownDetector, around 2,750 users reported issues with UPI transactions by 7:50 PM. Additionally, 296 Google Pay users also faced problems, according to the website. Banking services were affected too, with SBI facing fund transfer failures (47 per cent), mobile banking issues (37 per cent), and online banking disruptions (16 per cent). Overall, 84 per cent of UPI complaints were about failed payments. Many users took to social media to share their struggles with Google Pay and PhonePe, wondering if others were facing the same technical issues.

Apple WWDC25 Event: Tech Giant Apple announced on Wednesday that its annual Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) will be held online from June 9 to 13. Adding further, developers and students will have the chance to attend a special in-person event at Apple Park on June 9, the company stated. Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC25), open to all developers at no cost, will highlight the latest advancements in Apple software. Reinforcing its dedication to the developer community, Apple will provide exclusive access to its experts and unveil new tools, frameworks, and features.  “We’re excited to mark another incredible year of WWDC with our global developer community,” said Susan Prescott, Apple’s vice president of Worldwide Developer Relations. “We can’t wait to share the latest tools and technologies that will empower developers and help them continue to innovate,” Prescott added. Developers and students will be able to discover the latest Apple software and technologies by tuning in to the Keynote. Where To Watch Apple’s WWDC25 Online  They can also experience WWDC25 throughout the week on the Apple Developer app, Apple Developer website, and Apple Developer YouTube channel. This year’s conference will include video sessions and opportunities to connect with Apple engineers and designers in online labs. “Apple is proud to support the next generation of developers through the Swift Student Challenge, one of many Apple programmes that seek to uplift the next generation of entrepreneurs, coders, and designers,” it said. On March 27, this year’s applicants will be notified of their status, and winners will be eligible to apply for the special event at Apple Park. In addition, 50 distinguished winners, who are recognised for outstanding submissions, will be invited to Cupertino, California, for a three-day experience, said the company in its statement. (With IANS Inputs)

Apple New Update iOS 18.4: Apple is likely to announce a major update for AirPods Max, delivering the ultimate listening experience and even greater performance for music production. The US-based technology giant has stated that a new update is set to roll out next month, enabling these advanced audio capabilities over USB-C specifically for AirPods Max with USB-C. The new update could enhance audio quality across music, movies, and gaming.  The company confirmed that lossless and ultra-low latency audio will be available in April as a free firmware update with iOS 18.4, iPadOS 18.4, and macOS Sequoia 15.4 for AirPods Max with USB-C. Meanwhile, the update is expected to expand Apple Intelligence to new regions, improvements to Siri have been delayed.  Apple New Update: What’s New  Apple is set to introduce a major update for AirPods Max, enhancing the listening experience and boosting performance for music production. The US-based tech giant has confirmed that the update will roll out next month, bringing advanced audio capabilities over USB-C specifically for AirPods Max with USB-C.  This update will enable 24-bit, 48 kHz lossless audio, allowing users to experience studio-quality sound in its purest form. Additionally, Apple Music subscribers will gain access to over 100 million songs in lossless audio. The update also benefits music creators by enabling seamless integration with Logic Pro and other music production apps.  Another key improvement is ultra-low latency audio, significantly reducing lag and making response times as fast as the built-in speakers on Mac, iPad, and iPhone, enhancing the experience across music, movies, and gaming. AirPods Max: Price In India AirPods Max are priced at Rs 59,900 and comes in midnight, starlight, blue, purple, and orange colour options. Consumers can purchase the device via Apple’s online store, Apple Store app, and authorized resellers across India.

Samsung Galaxy A26 5G India Launch: South Korean giant Samsung has launched the Samsung Galaxy A26 5G smartphone in India. The smartphone runs on Android 15 with One UI 7 skin out-of-the-box. The company claims that the smartphone will get six years of Android OS upgrades and six years of security updates. Notably, the handset was initially unveiled in select global markets earlier this month alongside the Galaxy A56 5G and Galaxy A36 5G.   The new Samsung phone comes in Awesome Black, Awesome Mint, Awesome White, and Awesome Peach colour options. It is offered with an IP67 water-resistant rating. The phone comes with the Intelligent AI Suite, which enhances the user experience with features like Circle to Search with Google, AI Select, Object Eraser, My Filters, and more.  Samsung Galaxy A26 5G Specifications: The Samsung phone features a 6.7-inch Super AMOLED display with a 2340 x 1080 pixels resolution, a 120Hz refresh rate, and Gorilla Glass Victus+ protection for durability.  The phone is powered by an octa-core Exynos 1380 chipset, ensuring smooth performance. The device is backed by a 5,000mAh battery with 25W fast charging support, keeping it running throughout the day. On the optics front, the phone sports a 50MP main camera with OIS, an 8MP ultrawide lens, and a 2MP macro sensor on the back. On the front, there is a 13MP selfie camera for clear and detailed self-portraits. Connectivity options include 5G, 4G VoLTE, dual-band Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 5.3, GPS, GLONASS, NFC, and a USB Type-C port, making it a well-rounded device for seamless communication and entertainment.  Samsung Galaxy A26 5G Price In India And Bank Offers:  The phone starts at Rs 24,999 for the 8GB RAM + 128GB storage variant, while the 8GB RAM + 256GB model is priced at Rs 27,999 in India. As a launch offer, buyers can avail a Rs 2,000 discount on HDFC and SBI credit cards, bringing the effective price of the base model down to Rs 22,999. However, the smartphone is now available for purchase via the e-commerce giant Flipkart and the Samsung India e-store. 

Artificial Intelligence (AI) has been around for many years, but all the buzz is happening now. This technology is not new to the payments industry, applications like digital wallets and super apps have been utilizing AI by implementing machine learning algorithms to provide insights on consumer spending habits, enhance security and identify payment frauds. However, the concept of AI has re-invented itself, especially with the advent of Generative AI – the attention is shifting from predictive models to models that can generate intuitive content. AI in payments is expected to not only enhance consumer journey by streamlining payments and providing personalized conversational experiences, but it will also impact operations including sales, compliance, marketing, and support. Majority of the payment and fintech companies have jumped in the AI rushto seize the moment. Initially, companies in the payment value chain are experimenting with AI to streamline internal operations but AI driven services are also transforming merchant business models, risk profiling and fraud detection models, and customer acquisition strategies.  On the operational side of payment value chain, AI based models can be largely used to improve payment processing, enhance fraud detection, and credit models. It can be applied to existing models for scoring consumer transactions to improve authorization rates, thus influencing revenue of both the payment processer and merchant. Generative AI is set to make a profound impact in customer service – incident resolution, customer onboarding, and handling claims, as significant productivity can be achieved by leveraging smart AI enabled tools and reducing human interference. Fraud detection is another major area where machine learning algorithms are being used to analyze large data sets including user behavior, to identify unusual patterns, generate real-time fraud reports and reduce cancellation of genuine transactions. Traditional credit models can be a barrier for lenders to assess creditworthiness of customers. AI based algorithms are being used to analyze alternative data such as social media, past bill payments, and demographic data for creating more accurate risk profiles. On the client-facing side of business, AI will be leveraged to provide smooth checkout experience and tailored solutions by analyzing consumer behavior and preferences. Merchants are offering customized reward programs and dynamic pricing to optimize sales conversions. Future spending patterns and preferences can be identified with Generative AI which can be effectively utilized for targeted campaign generation and inventory management. Checkout experience can be enhanced – smart AI enabled chatbots can suggest specific recommendations based on analyzing consumer behavior and a payment plug-in can be linked to the chatbot so suggested products can be purchased without leaving the chat interface. AI presents vast potential opportunities in the payment industry, but its implementation strategy is vital in achieving expected results. Enterprises must design a goal-oriented AI strategy, develop the required technical and data infrastructure, and foster an AI adoption environment among the workforce to successfully leverage this technology. The payments industry has a lot of sensitive consumer data which is fed to AI models to provide accurate insights and personalized services. Compliance with regulatory frameworks and implementation of robust cyber security measures will be the key pillars to ensure data privacy requirements are met. Generative AI can also be exploited by fraudsters, making security a critical parameter for maintaining consumer confidence in the business. The regulatory landscape varies from country to country, thus payment companies operating in international markets need to be aware of the regulatory changes in each of their operating nations.  As AI is evolving and becoming more sophisticated with advancements in machine learning, its adoption will move from just fraud prevention to more consumer facing services in the payments sector. AI is providing a transformative opportunity to payments companies to move ahead in the competition curve and expand beyond traditional value propositions to create new revenue streams. Organizations will be leaner as a major part of the workforce will be engaged in more complex processes rather than what they might be currently doing. In the coming years, Agentic AI is anticipated to drive the next wave of payment innovation. These models will move a step ahead from only automating tasks to automating decision-making by taking unsupervised actions. (The author is Yuvraj Moudgil, Senior Director- Business Strategy, Fiserv Global Services. The views expressed here are of the author.)

WhatsApp New Feature: WhatsApp, a meta-owned platform, is working on a new feature that lets users share motion photos in chats, groups, and channels, reportedly. This feature was first spotted in the WhatsApp beta for Android 2.25.8.12 update, which is currently rolling out to beta testers via the Play Store. The feature is still in development for Android, but iPhone users will eventually see these motion photos as Live Photos on WhatsApp for iOS. Motion photos capture a few seconds of movement before and after a picture is taken, making memories more dynamic by adding short video and audio clips to regular photos. This feature is especially popular on some smartphones, as it blends the best of photos and videos, bringing snapshots to life with subtle animations. WhatsApp is also working on an AI-powered “Rewrite” feature that can transform typed messages into different styles. It is reportedly designed to help users rephrase their messages and even proofread them before sending. According to media reports, the feature offers several rewriting options, including Funny, Proofread, Puns, Rephrase, Sarcastic, Shorter, Spooky, and Supportive. The Proofread option helps fix spelling and grammar mistakes, while the others adjust the tone of the message. Adding further, WhatsApp might be developing a two-way live voice chat feature for Meta AI, allowing users to interact with the chatbot hands-free.

WhatsApp Account Ban: To tackle telecom fraud, the government announced on Friday that it has disconnected over 3.4 crore mobile connections and blocked 3.19 lakh IMEI numbers through the Sanchar Saathi portal. The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) stated that, leveraging AI and Big Data, it also deactivated 16.97 lakh WhatsApp accounts. Adding further, more than 20,000 bulk SMS senders were blacklisted under the DoT’s ‘Sanchar Saathi’ initiative, according to Dr. Pemmasani Chandra Sekhar, Minister of State for Communications and Rural Development, in a written reply to the Rajya Sabha. Through the Sanchar Saathi portal, the government facilitates citizens to report suspected fraud communications on Chakshu facility. DoT then carries out several analysis and takes action on such telecom resources that have been found linked to misuse, said the minister. Rather than acting on individual reported suspected fraud communications, DoT uses the crowd sourced data to carry out analysis and to zero down on misuse of telecom resources. The Department uses AI based tool and big data analysis to identify suspected mobile connections taken on fake documents. Further, DoT and telecom service providers (TSPs) have devised a system for near real time identification and blocking of incoming international spoofed calls displaying Indian mobile numbers that appear to be originating from India, said the minister. Meanwhile, telecom service providers have blacklisted 1,150 entities/individuals and disconnected more than 18.8 lakh resources. The actions led to a significant reduction in the complaints against unregistered telemarketers (UTMs) — from 1,89,419 in August 2024 to 1,34,821 in January 2025. The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) amended the Telecom Commercial Communications Customer Preference Regulations (TCCCPR), 2018 on February 12. A customer can now make a complaint about spam/unsolicited commercial communication (UCC) within seven days of receiving spam as compared to earlier three-day time limit. The time limit for taking action by the access providers against the UCC from unregistered senders has been reduced from 30 days to 5 days, according to the amendments. To ensure prompt action against the senders of UCC, the criterion for taking action against them has been revised and made more stringent. (With IANS Inputs)