Appfigures

Meta launches vibe-coded gaming app Pocket

Meta has quietly launched Pocket, a new mobile app that lets users generate and share small interactive apps and games (called “gizmos”) via AI text prompts. The app appears to be the product of Meta’s acquisition earlier this year of the team behind the vibe-coded gaming platform Gizmo and includes a scrollable discovery feed similar to Gizmo’s original app. App intelligence firm Appfigures reports Pocket first appeared on the App Store and Google Play on June 29, 2026, though downloads were not yet visible. Other publishers including Business Insider and Investing.com reported the rollout after reverse engineer Alessandro Paluzzi posted Play Store screenshots. Meta has not publicly announced Pocket, suggesting the release is an early experimental or soft-launch test.

TV Time App Shuts Down as Owner Focuses on AI

TV Time, a popular TV-tracking and fan community app owned by Whip Media, will be discontinued and removed from app stores after July 15, 2026. Whip Media cited the cost of running the free app and insufficient demand for a paid product, while the company is shifting priorities under new ownership toward AI-focused products and services — including its Helix automation and workflow management tool. TV Time had generated sizable audience data (reported as north of 26 million lifetime installs), which Whip Media previously used to power media-industry analytics. Whip Media says personal data collected via TV Time will be deleted and will not be used commercially after shutdown; users can request a GDPR-compliant data export before the service ends.

India's Telegram Ban Triggers VPN and Rival App Surge

India temporarily restricted access to Telegram for a week amid concerns about exam-related fraud tied to a NEET retest, prompting a large, immediate spike in VPN downloads and rival messaging app installs. App intelligence firm Appfigures reported a 49% day-over-day increase in VPN downloads in India (from 139,000 to 208,000). Major VPN providers — including Proton VPN, Turbo VPN, NordVPN, ExpressVPN, Windscribe and Surfshark — and messaging apps such as Signal, Viber and iMe recorded sharp uplifts in downloads and registrations. Sensor Tower reported a 17% rise in Telegram daily active users in India on the announcement day. Telegram challenged the order in the Delhi High Court; the court upheld the temporary restriction. Multiple network measurement firms also reported increased DNS requests and connection attempts to Telegram domains.