Fizz Expands Marketplace and Personalization with New Leadership from TikTok

Fizz, a fast-growing college social app, is taking major steps to enhance its platform by bringing on David Vasquez, a former TikTok executive, as its new Head of Product. Vasquez, who previously led creator monetization and TikTok Shop, will play a key role in developing Fizz’s recommendation engine, marketplace, and content strategy.

Enhancing Personalization and the Recommendation Engine

One of Vasquez’s primary objectives is to refine Fizz’s recommendation system, ensuring users receive content that aligns with their interests. Drawing from his experience at TikTok, he aims to replicate the highly effective content curation strategies that helped TikTok dominate social media.

“One of TikTok’s greatest strengths is putting the right content in front of the right user at the right time,” Vasquez told TechCrunch. “I want to bring that level of personalization to Fizz.”

Fizz plans to leverage AI-driven insights to analyze user engagement and surface trending content across different topics. This approach will enhance content diversity while ensuring that users receive highly relevant posts. For example, a user frequently engaging with sports discussions will see more related content while still being introduced to new, engaging topics.

Expanding the Fizz Marketplace Beyond Peer-to-Peer Transactions

Vasquez is also focused on expanding Fizz’s peer-to-peer marketplace, applying insights from his time at TikTok Shop. The company is exploring integrated payments and expanding marketplace offerings to include brand partnerships.

“Right now, transactions happen purely via DMs,” Vasquez explained. “We see an opportunity to introduce in-app payments and even integrate e-commerce brands into the platform.”

This shift could transform Fizz into a social-driven commerce hub, allowing users to buy not only from peers but also from established brands. By streamlining transactions and onboarding retailers, Fizz is positioning itself as a Gen Z-friendly shopping destination.

Pushing Further into Video Content

Recognizing Gen Z’s preference for short-form video, Vasquez has already increased Fizz’s maximum video length from 15 seconds to 30 seconds. This simple change has resulted in a 350% surge in video content creation on the platform.

Fizz plans to continue investing in video, potentially extending the maximum duration to one minute in the future. The goal is to make video content more engaging and interactive, ensuring users stay connected and actively contribute to the platform’s growth.

Opening the Platform to Brand Partnerships and Advertising

Fizz is now welcoming brand partnerships, with a growing interest from generative AI companies looking to advertise. As the platform scales, integrating sponsored content and branded campaigns could unlock new revenue streams and further solidify its position in the social media space.

Strong Growth and Competitive Positioning

Fizz is entering 2025 with significant momentum, boasting a 245% increase in daily posts and a 61% rise in daily active users (DAUs) since the start of the year. Vasquez attributes part of this growth to the uncertainty surrounding TikTok’s future in the U.S., a trend that has also benefited platforms like Snapchat.

“With the changing social media landscape, we’re seeing more users looking for authentic, community-driven platforms,” Vasquez noted.

Fizz’s Expanding Reach

Founded in 2021, Fizz is now available at more than 300 colleges and universities, with over 18 million posts on the platform. Backed by $41 million in funding, the company is rapidly evolving from a college-exclusive social app into a next-generation social commerce and content hub.

With Vasquez at the helm of product innovation, Fizz is poised to redefine social media engagement, blending personalization, commerce, and video into a seamless user experience. As the platform scales, it could emerge as a key player in the evolving social media ecosystem.

George Mensah

George Mensah Editor in chief for techfullpost . He is an internet entrepreneur. he launched news website in 2019. Techfullpost is Stay connected to know the latest news, tech news, entertainment, and self-improvement around the world with top stories.Experience He loves writing and interest in gaming, gadget, tech news, apps and mobile. He has been writing since 2018 and been doing research on technology since 2013. He spend most of his life writing tech news.

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Mobile

Apple Launches New Web-Based App Store

by George Mensah 2025-11-06

Apple has quietly rolled out a major update to its App Store experience, officially launching a fully redesigned web-based App Store that allows users to browse and discover apps across all Apple devices from a single online hub. The move, first spotted by MacRumors and 9to5Mac, marks a significant expansion of Apple’s ecosystem — bringing the App Store’s signature design and features to the browser for the first time.

According to the company, it now has a modern, app-store-like interface that looks similar to the App Store on iPhones, iPads, Macs, and other products. The domain was previously used as a holding place that hosted static information about apps or redirected users to in-device App Store pages.

A Centralized Experience Across All Apple Platforms

The new update allows them to easily search through apps across device categories like iPhone, iPad, Mac, Vision Pro, Apple Watch, and even Apple TV. Each section provides curated app lists, editorial recommendations, and Apple’s popular “Today” tab to show off featured apps, developer spotlights, and trending downloads.

The interface also allows users to browse applications based on their categories, such as Productivity, Entertainment, Games, Education, and Health & Fitness, and provides a much more streamlined and searchable experience than in the past.

Search, Share, and Explore — But Not Download

While this new web-based App Store does introduce better navigation and search, Apple is retaining control over where the downloads actually happen: users cannot install apps directly from the web version of the store. Instead, the website offers quick options to share listings of apps or open them directly in the native App Store app on an Apple device.

This is a design choice in concert with Apple’s long-term ecosystem strategy: making sure all app installations continue to go through its official App Store infrastructure, where the company can enforce strict privacy, payment, and security controls.

Smarter Search Portal for Developers and Users

Another welcome improvement: A prominently placed search bar finally allows users to quickly find apps by name, category, and even developer. Apple’s web app pages were previously static, unindexed, and generally inaccessible unless directly linked to a page.

Now, with an interface that is entirely searchable, this latest Web App Store serves dually as a marketing tool for developers and a place of discovery for users, maximizing app exposure to bring developers’ creations in front of larger audiences outside of Apple’s devices.

Expanding Apple’s Ecosystem Online

Apple’s extension of the App Store’s web presence also comes at a time when regulators and users are increasingly pressing for more openness and accessibility across all digital platforms. In creating this new, more interactive web presence, Apple seems to be taking steps toward greater transparency and discoverability, if still through a tightly integrated ecosystem.

The update also comes amidst Apple’s growing focus on cross-device experiences – especially as it promotes new platforms like Apple Vision Pro, which integrates apps across immersive and traditional interfaces.

Looking Ahead: Apple’s Strategy in a Changing App Landscape

The launch of the web App Store might seem like a minor revision, but it shows that Apple is taking a long-term view to elevate discovery and engagement of apps beyond its hardware. By opening the App Store to any browser, Apple enhances the user experience and reinforces its developer ecosystem by providing greater visibility and traffic to millions of applications without compromising strict app distribution policies. This latest move by Apple strikes a careful balance between innovation, control, and accessibility in a world of rapidly evolving digital ecosystems and increasing regulatory pressures. This is where the App Store, as the linchpin of the Apple experience, is now more connected than ever.

Mobile

Signal’s latest Windows version stops the system from taking chat screenshots

by George Mensah 2025-05-22

Signal has rolled out a critical privacy-focused update for its Windows app, introducing a “screen security” setting that prevents the system from capturing screenshots—directly countering Microsoft’s controversial Recall feature.

This move reinforces Signal’s commitment to user privacy, ensuring sensitive conversations remain protected even against AI-powered background surveillance. Here’s everything you need to know.

Why Signal Is Blocking Windows Screenshots

Microsoft Recall: A Privacy Concern

Microsoft’s Recall feature (announced in 2023) continuously captures and stores screenshots of user activity, allowing Windows 11 users to “scroll back in time” and revisit past actions.

Despite Microsoft pausing Recall’s rollout after backlash, the company reintroduced it in April 2024 via the Windows Insider Preview Channel with key changes:
✔ Opt-in requirement (users must enable it manually)
✔ Pause functionality (temporary deactivation)

However, Signal argues that Recall still poses risks:
🔴 Potential exposure of sensitive chats (even if encrypted)
🔴 Lack of granular app-level control (Recall captures everything by default)

How Signal’s “Screen Security” Works

When enabled, this setting:
✅ Blocks Windows from screenshotting Signal’s window (shows a blank screen instead)
✅ Prevents Recall from storing private conversations
✅ Maintains end-to-end encryption integrity

⚠ Trade-off: Some accessibility tools (like screen readers) may not function properly with this setting active.

How to Enable (or Disable) Signal’s Screen Security

Step-by-Step Guide

Open Signal Desktop
Go to Settings > Privacy > Screen Security
Toggle “Block screenshots” (enabled by default)

🔹 Disabling the feature requires confirmation (to prevent accidental deactivation).
🔹 A warning appears reminding users of potential privacy risks.

Signal’s Critique of Microsoft’s Approach

In a blog post, Signal expressed frustration with the need for such workarounds:

“We hope that AI teams building systems like Recall will consider these implications more carefully. Apps like Signal shouldn’t need a ‘one weird trick’ to protect user privacy—developers deserve better tools.”

Key Issues with Recall

🔸 No API for apps to opt out (forcing manual workarounds like Signal’s)
🔸 Potential security vulnerabilities (stored screenshots could be accessed by malware)
🔸 Privacy vs. convenience imbalance (users may not fully understand the risks)

What This Means for Windows Users

✔ Signal users gain stronger privacy protection against Recall.
✔ Other encrypted apps (like WhatsApp, Telegram) may follow suit.
✔ Microsoft faces continued scrutiny over AI-powered surveillance features.

Should You Disable Recall Entirely?

If privacy is a priority:

Avoid enabling Recall (if using Windows Insider builds).
Use Signal’s screen security for encrypted chats.
Monitor future Windows updates for improved privacy controls.

Final Verdict: A Necessary Move for Privacy

Signal’s update highlights the growing tension between AI convenience and user privacy. While Microsoft positions Recall as a productivity tool, its always-on screenshotting raises legitimate security concerns.

By proactively blocking Recall, Signal sets a precedent—tech companies must prioritize privacy by design, not as an afterthought.

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