A URL Shortener is a technique in which a URL may be made shorter and still redirect to the original long page.

Most URL Shorteners are free and easy to use but come with limitations.

Google shut down its Google URL Shortener in 2018 with continued support until March 30, 2019. However, all existing links will continue to redirect to the intended destination.

Top URL Shortener Services on the Internet

1. Bitly.com

Bitly offers a free and enterprise version of its URL shortening service. No signup necessary, but creating an account allows you to manage links quickly and change the short link characters if you wish.

According to this Quora answer, the enterprise version of Bitly costs around $995/month.

Pro Tip: add + after the short link to access analytics of any bitly link. bitly.com/link+

2. TinyURL

A simple shortener that requires no sign-up and allows users to customize the keyword. The service is free to use, but there is no analytics.

3. Short.io

The best shorten link provider so far, it has so many useful features such as google analytics integration, bulk import, broken links detection, built-in analytics with so many details, link cloaking, and more.

Cost: affordable compared to similar solutions.

4. Rebrandly 

Rebrandly is one of the popular URL shortener services in the market. It’s the most complete and reliable link management platform. Their solution provides the easiest way to create, measure, and manage short URLs with a custom domain name.

You can buy your domain name using Rebrandly, tag your URLs using UTM tagging, allow social media pixels to optimize for conversions, and more.

It’s expensive compared to other solutions.

5. eg.gd

eg.gd is a new URL shortener service that offers the same as rebrandly but for free. It was launched last year when bit.ly service was blocked in Egypt.

Lendo, a Saudi Arabia-based shariah-compliant debt crowdfunding marketplace, has raised SAR 105 million ($28 million) in Series B funding led by Sanabil Investments, a wholly-owned company by the Public Investment Fund (“PIF”). The round saw participation from Shorooq Partners, AB Ventures and other investors.

Lendo is a Shariah-compliant, debt crowdfunding marketplace that helps pre-finance outstanding invoices for businesses in Saudi Arabia. The platform is a community of creditworthy borrowers and sophisticated investors looking for alternative investments. The platform is licensed by the Saudi Central Bank (SAMA). Lendo will use the funds to support its fast-growing customer base in Saudi Arabia which has grown 3X year-on-year, introduce more innovative financing products, and accelerate market expansion plans.

“With this funding round, we are going to expand into new markets, support new and current customers, and launch new Shariah-compliant products, all the while continuing to innovate the marketplace for digital lending. We are going to make financial services more accessible, affordable, and inclusive for everyone. I am excited to see what the future holds for our company,” said Osama Alraee, CEO, and co-founder of Lendo, who also disclosed its plans for an IPO within the next few years.

Alraee has also expressed his gratitude to SAMA (Saudi Central Bank), Fintech Saudi, MCIT, Misk, and Monshaat for their unwavering support, emphasizing the pivotal role they have played in advancing financial inclusivity and fostering innovation in partnership with Lendo to reshape the financial landscape. Their dedicated efforts in advancing financial inclusivity and fostering innovation have been invaluable to us. We greatly appreciate their partnership in our mission to transform the financial landscape

Commenting on the announcement, Sanabil Investments said: “Lendo is a leading fintech company that is transforming the financial services industry in their specialist area of Shariah-compliant digital lending for SMEs. The Lendo team, especially the founders, Osama and Mohamed, have achieved a significant amount in a relatively short period, and we are eager to join their journey of increasing access to flexible financial solutions in Saudi Arabia and the region at large.”

“The growing demand for alternative, agile, and accessible lending solutions presents a significant opportunity. At Lendo, we are well-positioned to lead the charge in promoting financial inclusion not only in Saudi Arabia but also beyond. By fueling SME growth, we aim to contribute to the realization of Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 economic goals and to create a ripple effect of opportunity throughout the MENA region,” said Mohamed Jawabri, COO, and co-Founder of Lendo.

Lendo previously raised a SAR 27 million Series A funding round ($7.2 million) in 2021 led by Derayah Ventures with participation from Seedra Ventures and other investors, bringing the fintech’s total funding to SAR 132 million ($35.2 million).

Since the inception of Dec 2019, Saudi fintech Lendo has processed more than 2,500 financing transactions on its platform, providing over SAR 1 billion ($300 million) in financing to SMEs and generating SAR 140 million ($37 million) returns for investors.

The Small and Medium Enterprise financing landscape in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) presents a substantial market opportunity as limited financial access continues to restrict the growth of the region’s businesses, with commercial banks hesitant to issue loans to SMEs at scale, resulting in a high percentage of declined financing requests annually. According to the International Finance Corporation (IFC), the SME financing gap is estimated at SAR 19.5 trillion ($5.2 trillion) every year in developing countries.

Lendo’s debt crowdfunding platform aims to bridge the financing gap for SMEs, which aligns with the Saudi Vision 2030 to significantly expand SME lending from 4% in 2018 to 20% by 2030.

The total value of debt crowdfunding in Saudi Arabia surged from 1.4 million SAR in 2019 to SAR 771 million in 2022, marking a remarkable 430% growth, according to SAMA’s annual fintech report 2022.

Apple is set to release iOS 16 for specific iPhone users worldwide in a massive upgrade to its software in 2022 in line with iPhone 14 launch. This update will add new features to the iPhone, enabling users to access the most up-to-date security fixes and some new cool features.

Apple announced the update last June, but we’re a few days away from it arriving on iPhones worldwide.

When is Apple iOS 16 release date?

It’s confirmed that Apple will release iOS 16 on Monday, September 12, 2022, to all supported iPhone models worldwide. The company announced the release date at Apple Event on September 7.

iOS 16 download size

The iOS 16 file size is around 2.5GB, and it takes about 10 minutes to download it on a high-speed Wi-Fi network and another 20 minutes to install the software on your iPhone.

iOS 16 update features – new iPhone tricks revealed

#1 – Lock Screen

Apple is completely changing the Lock Screen, letting you customize presets or create your one entirely.

You’ll also be able to take advantage of Live Activities, a new feature that tracks real-time events.

This could include a workout, sports scores, your taxi journey, or a food delivery order – all from the Lock Screen.

Finally, a new design sees notifications rolling up from the bottom of the display, giving you the best possible view of the Lock Screen.

#2 – Locking photo albums

If you didn’t realize, you could hide iPhone photos – by placing them in a Hidden folder.

But this Hidden folder is easy to find (or recover if you’ve hidden the folder itself).

Thankfully iOS 16 password-protects your Hidden and Recently Deleted folders on your iPhone.

That means you’ll need to use Face ID to gain access to them, protecting them from snoopers who might be using your iPhone.

#3 – Unsending and editing iMessages

Your Messages app will finally let you “unsend” iMessages.

This means they’ll be recalled from the recipient’s phone if you regret sending the text.

And you can even edit texts, too, so you can quickly and easily correct typos or other errors.

Importantly, this feature will only work correctly if the recipient is also on iOS 16 – so be wary in the first few weeks.

#4 – Pin Safari tabs

If you’re an iPhone power user, you’ve probably got hundreds of Safari tabs open.

This can make it challenging to find the tabs that you use most frequently.

Thankfully iOS 16 will let you pin your favorite tabs in Safari, so you’ll never lose track of the key ones again.

Not all iPhone models can upgrade to iOS 16

You’ll need an iPhone 8 or later to get the new iOS 16.

That means two generations of iPhone have been cut off: the iPhone 6S and iPhone 7.

The 1st-generation iPhone SE won’t be compatible with iOS 16 but was with iOS 15.5.

Here’s the complete list of iOS 16 supported devices:

• iPhone 13
• iPhone 13 mini
• iPhone 13 Pro
• iPhone 13 Pro Max
• iPhone 12
• iPhone 12 mini
• iPhone 12 Pro
• iPhone 12 Pro Max
• iPhone 11
• iPhone 11 Pro
• iPhone 11 Pro Max
• iPhone Xs
• iPhone XS Max
• iPhone XR
• iPhone X
• iPhone 8
• iPhone 8 Plus
• iPhone SE (2nd generation or later)

If you’re using an older iPhone, you’ll need to upgrade to access iOS 16.

Otherwise, you’ll miss out on the new features.

But more worryingly, not being able to get the latest iOS means you’ll lose access to the most up-to-date security fixes.

These vital patches close hackers’ holes to accessing your systems; hackers are becoming more creative as technology continuously evolves.