Crypto Market Update: Bitcoin, Ether Decline as Volatility Hits Altcoins

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The cryptocurrency market saw a downturn on Monday, February 24, as Bitcoin and most altcoins registered losses across both national and international exchanges. Bitcoin’s value dipped by 1.20 percent over the past 24 hours on global platforms, bringing its price to $95,630 (roughly Rs. 82.8 lakh). Meanwhile, on Indian exchanges like CoinDCX and CoinSwitch, Bitcoin experienced a smaller decline of under one percent, hovering around $96,984 (roughly Rs. 84 lakh).

Over the weekend, Bitcoin briefly approached the $100,000 (roughly Rs. 86.6 lakh) mark before experiencing a correction, dropping below $95,000 (roughly Rs. 82.3 lakh). The decline was partly triggered by a massive $1.4 billion (roughly Rs. 12,131 crore) crypto hack on Friday, which led to significant withdrawals from investors. This incident affected the broader crypto market, causing notable losses in altcoins like Ethereum (ETH), XRP, and Solana. Analysts believe Bitcoin could experience further volatility if it falls below the crucial $94,000 (roughly Rs. 81.4 lakh) support level in the coming days.

Ethereum (ETH), the second-largest cryptocurrency, also faced a decline, dropping by one percent in the last 24 hours. On global exchanges, Ether is currently trading at $2,732 (roughly Rs. 2.33 lakh), while its price on Indian exchanges stands at around $2,757 (roughly Rs. 2.38 lakh). This downtrend in ETH, coupled with Bitcoin’s losses, suggests a cautious market sentiment as traders react to recent security concerns and market corrections.

With increased market volatility and external factors influencing investor behavior, experts advise caution in the short term. While Bitcoin’s ability to hold above key support levels will determine its next movement, the broader market remains under pressure. The upcoming days will be crucial in assessing whether a recovery is imminent or if further corrections are expected across major cryptocurrencies.

Apple Reportedly Developing Gemini Integration for Apple Intelligence

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Apple is reportedly exploring the integration of additional third-party artificial intelligence (AI) services within its Apple Intelligence framework. The company introduced Apple Intelligence features to select iPhone, iPad, and Mac devices with the iOS 18.2 update in December 2024. This marked a significant shift for Apple, as it allowed Siri to leverage OpenAI’s ChatGPT for certain queries, making it the first-ever system-wide third-party AI integration within Apple’s ecosystem. Now, a new leak suggests that Apple may expand this functionality further by incorporating Google’s AI models into the mix.

According to MacRumors analyst Aaron Perris, Apple appears to be working on integrating Google’s Gemini AI models into its operating system. Perris shared a screenshot on X (formerly Twitter), showing lines of code from the recently released iOS 18.4 beta that hint at this potential partnership. If true, this move would signify Apple’s increasing openness to leveraging multiple AI providers to enhance its devices’ capabilities, giving users more flexibility in choosing their preferred AI assistant.

The leaked code reportedly displays two options under the “Third-party model” section within Apple Intelligence settings. While OpenAI’s ChatGPT was already listed, a new entry for Google has now appeared. However, the leak does not specify which particular Gemini models Apple intends to integrate or what kind of functionality they will offer. It remains unclear whether this integration would be limited to select Siri queries, similar to how ChatGPT is currently utilized, or if it would expand into more system-wide applications.

If Apple follows through with this integration, it could mark a major shift in how AI services are incorporated into its ecosystem. Rather than relying on a single AI provider, Apple seems to be adopting a more flexible approach that allows users to choose from multiple AI models based on their preferences. As iOS 18.4 continues its beta testing phase, more details about this potential collaboration may emerge, offering a clearer picture of how Apple plans to implement third-party AI services in future updates.

iOS 18.4 Beta 1 Rolls Out for iPhone with Priority Notifications and Image Playground Enhancements

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Apple has rolled out the iOS 18.4 Beta 1 update for iPhone, introducing several new features, including enhancements powered by Apple Intelligence—the company’s AI suite. One of the most notable additions is the long-awaited Priority Notifications feature, which Apple initially previewed at WWDC 2024 but had yet to release. This feature intelligently analyzes incoming notifications and highlights the most important ones in a dedicated section on the iPhone’s lock screen. Alongside this, the update also introduces a refreshed experience in Apple’s Image Playground and a new Ambient Music option.

The Priority Notifications feature leverages on-device AI processing to evaluate the relevance of notifications while maintaining user privacy. When enabled, it filters notifications and displays only the most critical ones at a glance. Users can still access all notifications by swiping up on the lock screen. Apple emphasizes that this AI-powered feature is designed to enhance efficiency without compromising data security, as all processing occurs locally on the device rather than on Apple’s servers.

To enable Priority Notifications, users need to navigate to Settings > Notifications > Prioritise Notifications since the feature is turned off by default. Another notable addition in the iOS 18.4 Beta 1 update is the new Ambient Music option in the Control Centre. This feature plays a randomly selected mix of background sounds categorized into four themes: Sleep, Chill, Productivity, and Wellbeing. However, users do not have control over the specific tracks being played. They can, however, see what’s currently playing and use the Dynamic Island music player to skip tracks if desired.

In addition to these key updates, iOS 18.4 Beta 1 is expected to include general bug fixes, security improvements, and performance enhancements. With Apple continuing to refine its AI-driven features, future updates could expand customization options for Priority Notifications and Ambient Music. As the beta testing phase progresses, Apple is likely to tweak and optimize these features before the official iOS 18.4 release in the coming weeks.