New Year

The start of a new year is often seen as a reason for starting new routines, ditching bad habits, and improving health. And, of course, there are plenty of companies ready to jump on the “new year, new you” bandwagon to provide tools, ideas and apps; and Apple is no different.

The company has announced new programs for Apple Fitness+ which it says will help to transform the fitness of Apple Watch owners. In addition to new workout programs, there are also new playlists from featured artists to help with motivation.

With the end of 2025 drawing ever closer WhatsApp is getting ready for its busiest period. As the clock strikes midnight around the world, a surge of messages will be sent over the platform, and Meta is using the arrival of 2026 as a launchpad for new features and options – as well as highlighting recent additions which lend themselves to this time of year.

The company has focused on the celebratory and connective nature of New Year, providing new ways to liven up the messages you send to friends and family. There is quite a lot here, from new stickers and call effects, to the arrival of animated stickers in Status updates.

Reaction emoji are a quick and easy way to respond to a message in WhatsApp with an absolute minimum of effort. Whether you simply can’t be bothered to type a message, or you’re already multi-tasking several things, the option to just send a thumbs up to a message is a handy option to have.

While there is nothing to stop you from sending any emoji you want as a response, there are several default options made available for easy access -- such as a heart or a sad face in addition to the thumbs up. For some time there have been six default emoji, but now WhatsApp is adding another to the family to make a septet.

At the dawn of a new year most people plan to make lifestyle changes like losing weight or giving up smoking. But new research commissioned by Tech Show London reveals that over 12 million UK consumers plan to make learning AI a New Year's resolution for 2025.

This growing interest in mastering AI signals a shift towards greater understanding and engagement with the technology that is increasingly shaping our lives. 46 percent of those surveyed agree that AI will fundamentally transform our relationship with technology.