February 15 Tech News Roundup: TikTok is back in the U.S., Apple TV+ launches for Android, iPhone SE 4 could be revealed soon

DeepSeek AI sent unencrypted data to ByteDance

Security researchers have discovered that DeepSeek AI is sending user data in an unencrypted form to ByteDance’s servers. The news sent alarm bells ringing regarding privacy and potential data theft. User sensitive information such as the operating system version, language, organization identifiers were among the things that the app sent to the servers. DeepSeek was recently caught by another group of security experts who claimed that they had gained access to an open database belonging to DeepSeek, which contained chat histories, system logs and API authentication keys.

The China-based company has drawn criticism from many Countries, and has already been removed from app stores in Italy. ByteDance is facing the heat due to issues surrounding TikTok and the U.S. government, and the country’s lawmakers are considering banning DeepSeek too. OpenAI has accused DeepSeek for using its proprietary AI models to train its own AI.

TikTok is back on the Play Store and App Store in the U.S.

The popular short video streaming app TikTok is available once again in the U.S. after it was removed from app stores recently. TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance, had been mandated by the Biden administration in March 2023, to divest its operations in the U.S., failing which it would be banned. That is precisely what happened on January 25, 2025, as Google and Apple delisted the app from the Play Store and App Store respectively, following an order from the Government. TikTok had tried to work around the ban by offering the app’s APK on its website, and suggested desktop users to access the service through its online portal. It had even promoted its social media app, Lemon8, as an alternative.

However, the Trump administration was willing to allow TikTok some extra time to resolve the issue. US Attorney General Pam Bondi sent a letter to Google and Apple, asking the two tech giants to allow TikTok to be hosted on their app stores. Microsoft and Oracle are among the companies that are interested in trying to acquire TikTok.

Sony offers compensation to players after PSN outage

Millions of gamers were frustrated last weekend as Sony’s PlayStation Network experienced a major outage. This left PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 users unable to access the games that they paid for. However, that wasn’t the surprising part. Sony did not offer any explanation whatsoever about the issue when it happened, and only acknowledged the problem about 24 hours after the outage had occurred, and the service was back online. While many people were worried that the PSN was hacked or was under a DDoS attack, the company said that the downtime was due to an operational issue.

Sony announced that all PlayStation Plus members would receive an additional five days of service as compensation. The gesture did little to appease fans, who were furious about the lack of communication about the situation, and that their weekend had been ruined by the disruption. Many gamers felt that the compensation that has been offered by Sony was insufficient.

Kingdom Come Deliverance 2 is a runaway hit

Kingdom Come Deliverance 2 was released earlier this month on PC, PS5 and Xbox. The open-world RPG set in 15th century medieval Europe has been remarkably successful. Daniel Vávra, the co-founder of Warhorse Studios, has revealed that Kingdom Come Deliverance 2 had a budget of about $41.5 Million, and that the game has already recouped its development cost, in a single day.

The current sales trajectory could be highly favorable for both the studio, and the game’s publisher, Deep Silver. Kingdom Come Deliverance 2 has drawn positive reviews from media outlets, content creators, and players for the outstanding effort to create a beautiful and immersive game. Several people have also praised the developers for optimizing the game to run on older graphics cards.

Apple iPhone SE 4 to launch soon

Apple is all set to launch the iPhone SE 4. According to some leaks, the company has designed the device similar to the iPhone 14. The device is said to be powered by an A18 bionic chip with 8GB of RAM. The iPhone SE 4 will have a 6.1-inch OLED display, a notch design that houses a Face ID sensor. Apple will debut its own 5G modem in the phone. The iPhone SE 4 will have a 12 MP front camera, a 48 MP rear camera, and an Action button that can be customized with various functions.

The device will feature a USB-C port to comply with regulations in the European Union. Apple is expected to set the iPhone SE 4 price at $500.

Apple TV+ app launches for Android devices

Apple has launched the Apple TV+ app for Android. The streaming app allows users to watch Apple TV+ originals like Ted Lasso, Severance, The Morning Show, and various drama, comedy series, feature films, and documentaries. In addition to these, subscribers can also access MLS Season Pass. The move will see Apple compete with the likes of Amazon Prime, Netflix, Hulu, Hotstar, etc.

Apple TV+ has some features such as Continue Watching and Watchlist, that viewers can find helpful. Users can try Apple TV+ for free for seven days, and choose to pay $9.99 per month to subscribe to the service. The Apple TV+ app is available on the Google Play Store for Android phones, foldables, and tablets.

Google Maps and Bing Maps rename Gulf of Mexico to Gulf of America

Google, Apple and Microsoft have updated their map services to comply with an executive order signed by U.S. President Donald Trump, and to reflect an update to the United States Geographic Names Information System. Apple Maps, Google Maps, and Bing Maps will now display the Gulf of America region, instead of saying Gulf of Mexico. The U.S. is celebrating February 9 as Gulf of America Day. This change only impacts users in the U.S. Users from other Countries will see the original name, Gulf of Mexico, when they view the maps on their devices. The renaming is reportedly unpopular among a large part of the population in America.

Naturally, the news did not please Mexicans either. Claudia Sheinbaum, the President of Mexico, has expressed her displeasure regarding the change, stating that it disregards international agreements and infringes upon Mexico’s sovereignty.  Mexico is considering suing Google for changing the region’s name in its Maps service.