Technologies

Facebook reportedly struggles to count users as people create multiple accounts

An internal report viewed by The Wall Street Journal shows the company could be grappling with just how many active users it has.

Facebook is shaky about how many users are actually on its platform, according to a report Thursday by The Wall Street Journal. Internal documents show the social network is having a hard time identifying just how many active users it can count as people create multiple accounts on Facebook, The Journal reports.

An internal presentation at the company from the spring reportedly noted that among new accounts, it was a «very prevalent» circumstance for individual users to have multiple accounts. Facebook looked at around 5,000 recent sign-ups and found that between 32% and 56% were created by users who already had previous accounts, according to The Journal.

Additionally, another memo from May reportedly found that the number of Facebook users in the US who are in their 20s and active on the platform at least once a month is often greater than the total population of Americans in that demographic. The memo noted this could mean Facebook’s number of daily active users could be «less trustable,» The Journal reports.

The publication notes this reported uncertainty in user count could impact the reliability of information shared with advertisers.

A Facebook representative told CNET: «It’s not a revelation that we study duplicate accounts, and this snapshot of information doesn’t tell the full story. Nothing in this story changes the estimate of duplicate accounts we disclose in our public filings, which includes new users, or that we provide context on in our ad products, ad interfaces, in our help centers, and in other places. Ultimately, advertisers use Facebook because they see results — we help them meet their business objectives and provide appropriate metrics in our reporting tools.»

Facebook bans people from having multiple personal accounts, as it calls itself a «real identity platform.» Instead, users can only have one primary account with their real name. The memos The Journal reviewed suggest the reason most users make multiple accounts is because they get locked out of their main accounts or make an error signing in.

Technologies

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Technologies

Apple’s New Smart Home Display Delayed Until Fall Over Siri Issues

It has been nearly a year and a half since the company announced the AI-powered product.

Your home could get smarter with Apple’s Siri, but it will have to wait a few more months. Bloomberg reported the iPad-shaped AI home hub won’t be ready until September, several months after the company was hoping to launch it this spring. Apple engineers first need to complete work on a new and improved Siri assistant for the home device, code-named J490, according to Bloomberg.

Apple was hoping to release J490 this month, along with a slew of other new devices, including the iPhone 17e, MacBook Neo, MacBook Air M5, new Pro models, and iPad Air M4. Apple first teased the smart home display in November 2024.

A representative for Apple did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Siri is Apple’s virtual assistant that uses voice recognition and AI to fulfill a variety of tasks and commands, along with intriguing uses. You might use Siri to find your iPhone — «Hey Siri, where are you?» — or to hear the weather forecast — «Siri, what will the weather be today?» Siri is available on iPhones, MacBooks and iPads. It was launched in 2011 as a feature of the iPhone 4S.

As CNET reported last month, Apple engineers have struggled to push the upgraded Siri assistant out the door. It isn’t fast enough, gets confused by complex commands and doesn’t interact well with other Apple AI models. The company is also wrestling with how much personal data to access to inform the AI, and the new Siri is not yet able to complete in-app tasks, such as finding a photo and posting it to socials, all with one command.

It has been nearly two years since Apple announced that it would give Siri a major upgrade. In the meantime, competitors like Alexa Plus and Gemini for Home have entered the marketplace.

Tech tester Jon Rettinger, whose YouTube channel has 1.66 million subscribers, says the repeated delays in upgrading Siri can «erode» confidence in Apple’s ability to keep up in the AI race.

«Apple as a whole is still one of the strongest companies on the planet. But their AI play is clearly the weakest link in an otherwise very strong chain,» Rettinger told CNET.

Rettinger said he has had issues getting Siri to complete basic commands, such as setting two alarms at the same time, and that it’s a bit of «a mess» right now.

«Having said that, the iPhone has such massive market penetration that I’m not sure it will actually matter in the end. Which is kind of wild when you think about it,» Rettinger said.

Facial recognition for residents

The hardware for the forthcoming smart home display has already been finished. It resembles an iPad and can be either attached to a wall or rest on a half-domed-shaped base, the Bloomberg report said.

The device will be equipped with facial recognition, so when residents walk up to it, they will be shown personalized data such as music preferences, news headlines, appointments, reminders, tasks and so on.

The screen interface will include a bunch of circular app icons, similar to the display on an Apple Watch. The Bloomberg report said the smart home display will be the first of several home devices by Apple. Future products include a tabletop robotic limb with a 9-inch screen, a smart security camera and a Face ID-enabled smart doorbell.