Happy New Year and welcome to 2026!
The first half of January brought its share of fresh updates and clever improvements, and we’ve been keeping an eye on them.
Time to recap what’s been happening so far this month.
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WhatsApp is rolling out a set of new features designed to make group chats clearer and more useful. One of the highlights is member tags, which let you set different names depending on the group, like “Anna’s Dad” in a family chat or “Goalkeeper” in your team group.
The app is also adding text stickers. You can turn any word into a sticker straight from Sticker Search and save it to your sticker packs without having to send it first. It’s a small touch, but one that makes chats more fun and expressive.
On top of that, WhatsApp now lets you add event reminders to group events, so people get notified at the right time. All of this builds on recent group chat upgrades like larger file sharing, HD media, screen sharing, and voice chats.
👉 Learn more about WhatsApp’s latest group chat updates.
Gmail launches a personalized AI Inbox and new AI tools
Gmail just rolled out a new AI Inbox designed to make your email way easier to manage. It gives you a clean overview of what actually needs your attention with sections like Suggested to-dos and Topics to catch up on, so things like bills, deliveries, or account updates don’t get lost in the noise.
Google is also adding AI Overviews in Gmail search, letting you ask natural language questions about your inbox and get instant answers pulled from your emails.
On top of that, Gmail is introducing a built-in Proofread feature, similar to Grammarly, to help clean up your writing with one click. And some AI features that used to be paid-only, like Help Me Write, thread summaries, and Suggested Replies, are now rolling out to everyone.
👉 Learn more about Gmail’s new AI features.
Anthropic launches Cowork, Claude Code for non developers
Anthropic just introduced Cowork, a new tool inside the Claude Desktop app that brings the power of Claude Code to everyday users without needing any coding skills. Instead of command lines or complex setup, you simply choose a folder Claude can access and manage everything through normal chat instructions.
Cowork runs on the same engine as Claude Code and can handle practical tasks like organizing receipts, sorting media files, or analyzing documents. It works as an agent that can take multiple actions on its own, which makes it powerful but also means users need to give clear directions to avoid mistakes like deleting files.
👉 Learn more about Anthropic Cowork.
Slackbot becomes a full AI agent inside Slack
Slack just transformed its classic assistant into a real AI agent. The new Slackbot can now search for information, draft emails, schedule meetings, and even pull data from tools like Google Drive or Microsoft Teams, all without leaving Slack. It is available for Business+ and Enterprise+ customers.
This version is completely different from the old Slackbot, but they kept the name because everyone already knows it. Instead of just answering basic commands, Slackbot now works more like a digital teammate that can handle tasks across multiple apps with permission.
Salesforce plans to add voice support and web browsing in the future, turning Slackbot into an even more independent assistant.
👉 Learn more about the new Slackbot AI agent.
Plenty of updates already, and we’re just halfway through January. Stay tuned to our blog for the next round of highlights at the end of the month.
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