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AIM 🔴 AFK 4EVA
For the better part of two decades, starting in the mid '90s, AIM (previously AOL Instant Messenger) was the way to communicate online. For a certain generation, which most of the Engadget staff happens to be a part of, it defined their youth. Those of us who experience high school and college in a world before Twitter, Facebook and, yes, Gmail, Instant Messenger was how we kept up with friends after class and well into the night. We made friends from across the globe, and a few of us even found love. But around 2010 AIM's popularity started to decline. Fast. Now the OG of instant messaging apps is being put out to pasture. On December 15th AIM will finally shut down. But first the Engadget staff wanted to give it a proper send off.
Russian censorship law bans proxies and VPNs
It's going to be much harder to view the full web in Russia before the year is out. President Putin has signed a law that, as of November 1st, bans technology which lets you access banned websites, including virtual private networks and proxies. Internet providers will have to block websites hosting these tools. The measure is ostensibly meant to curb extremist content, but that's just pretext -- this is really about preventing Russians from seeing content that might be critical of Putin, not to mention communicating in secret.
Twitter built and cancelled a messaging app
For years, it's been rumored that Twitter is working on a standalone messaging app. Direct Messages, or DMs, are certainly popular with some of the service's most dedicated users. According to BuzzFeed News, a messenger app was in development as recently as September -- but its form was a little different than you might expect. It packaged tweets and new "instant messages" around particular topics -- a news story or a football team, for instance -- which were set by chosen "influencers." They were threads, essentially, similar to Reddit or Slack where groups could chat.
Yahoo launches its redesigned Messenger app for desktops
Okay, this isn't the biggest news you'll hear from Yahoo this week, but bear with us -- it's important if you still rely on Yahoo for your messaging needs. The internet pioneer has released its long-in-development redesign of Yahoo Messenger for the desktop, giving the software both a much fresher look and a handful of big new features that you don't always see in personal chat clients. You can unsend messages, for example -- good for those overly hasty reactions or correcting mistakes. You can also search for GIF replies (much like you might in Slack), like posts and share numerous photos at once just by dragging them into the conversation.
Say goodbye to the old Yahoo Messenger on August 5th
After more than 18 years of service, faithfully shuttling your messages, emojis and A/S/L requests back and forth across the internet, Yahoo has announced they will be signing off and closing its old Messenger app for good on August 5th. The app launched in 1998 under the incredibly dated name "Yahoo Pager," but is heading off into the software sunset after the company introduced a more modern version last year.
Google updates Hangouts on iOS to ease file sharing
Google has released Hangouts version 9 for iPhone and iPad, introducing several new useful features that users have been clamoring for. If it's been a hassle every single time you've needed to share a file or photo, you should be pleased with the changes.
FreshTeam is a messaging app that tracks employee locations
Traveling salespeople of yore could get away with plenty because, hey, who was ever gonna find out? These days, there's a smartphone in your pocket and a boss at the other end of the internet expecting an answer. That's where FreshTeam comes in, which is an Android and iOS app designed to let employers keep track of employees without needing to harass them. By harnessing the sensors in your smartphone with its own algorithmic secret-sauce, the app is capable of detecting your presence without your input. The service allows your boss to know where you are, what you're doing and how much battery you've got left on your device without ever having to ask. Yep, it does sound like a privacy nightmare, but the team's reasoning does make some sense, at least on paper.
Get ready for ads in Facebook Messenger
If you've been chatting with businesses via Facebook Messenger, don't be too surprised if they start sending you ads in the near future. A leaked document obtained by TechCrunch apparently says that users who've voluntarily messaged a company could open themselves up to the spam as early as this April. Note the "voluntarily" bit there. From the sounds of it, Facebook is going to be working pretty hard to ensure that the incoming messages are actually welcome, lest you get annoyed and uninstall the app.
Facebook is reportedly making a Messenger app for Mac
Desktop messaging apps haven't gotten much attention lately. Sure, you continue to see mainstays like Skype, but the big chat services still tend to steer you toward websites. That might be changing shortly, however. A TechCrunch tipster has provided both an image and details of what looks like a native, pre-release Facebook Messenger app for the Mac. It's really the iOS app writ large, but it suggests that Facebook might be willing to return to the desktop after its relatively brief, ill-fated experiment with a Windows app years ago.
Firefox's latest browser has built-in instant messaging
Mozilla is rolling out Firefox 41 to desktop and Android users and says it's now the first browser to have built-in instant messaging. That feature only works on the desktop version for now, but lets you IM directly from a Hello video call whether you're on Windows, Mac or Linux. Because Hello is WebRTC powered, you can chat with Chrome or Opera users once it's supported on those browsers. If you happen to use Firefox's chat (which Mozilla co-developed with Telefonica) instead of say, Skype, it could come in handy if you're traveling and using an internet cafe.
The awful LinkedIn inbox is now a modern messaging service
LinkedIn is undoubtably a valuable, even essential, service these days, but that doesn't meant the site is all that easy to use. If you've ever shaken your head in frustration at the mess that is the LinkedIn Inbox, we have some good news for you: The company has just completely redesigned its messaging experience. Gone is the stodgy old email-style inbox, a feature that was reminiscent of the worst parts of old web mail. In its place is a chat-style interface that LinkedIn expects will encourage shorter, quicker back-and-forth conversations. It's along the lines of Facebook Messenger, Hangouts and every other web-based messaging app you've been using to communicate with your friends and colleagues.
Skype for Android gives you custom ringtones and photo forwarding
If you use Skype enough on your Android phone that you can't always make heads or tails of who's calling, today's your day. An updated version of Skype for Android brings the same kind of contact-specific ringtones that you might be used to with conventional calls, so you'll know if it's a BFF or someone who can afford to wait. The same update will be handy if you can't help but share pictures, for that matter -- you can now forward the images you receive in chat, guaranteeing that those baby photos will reach the rest of your Skype-using family. Swing by Google Play if either of these new features happens to reel you in.
Android flaw lets attackers into your phone through MMS videos
If you're an Android user, you'd better hope that a stranger doesn't send you a video message in the near future -- it might compromise your phone. Security researchers at Zimperium have discovered an exploit that lets attackers take control if they send a malware-laden MMS video. The kicker is that you may not even need to do anything to trigger the payload, depending on your text messaging app of choice. While the stock Messenger app won't do anything until you see the message, Hangouts' pre-processing for media attachments could put you at risk before you're even aware that there's a message waiting.
You can now Skype from your browser in the US and UK
If you like using Skype, but the only connection you have in Squankville, USA is at an internet cafe, now you have an option. Microsoft has opened Skype for Web (beta) to all users in the UK and US on Internet Explorer, Chrome, Safari and Firefox. Provided you're on OS X or Windows, you'll be able to place video or voice calls and send IMs from a strange computer if you can't use one of the mobile apps or the Outlook version.
Google makes a Hangouts Mac app you'll want to use
Listen up, OSX users: with the new Hangouts update from Google you might actually want to use the official app rather than Adium. It consolidates your contacts on the left side of one window and puts your chats on the right as you'll see below. It's pretty simple and intuitive and is rocking Mountain View's Material Design style, and frankly the simplification feels a bit overdue. Google's Mayur Kamat writes that you can take advantage of the new features on Chrome OS, Linux and Windows too but you'll have to disable "transparent mode" first.
Facebook Messenger brings fragmented communication to desktops
Wish you could have the Facebook Messenger experience somewhere other than your mobile device? Pine no more because now it's available on the web (it's a platform now, remember?). As Slashgear notes, it's essentially the app experience but living inside your browser. Simply head over to Messenger.com, sign in with your Facebook account and you're good to go. Folks who've been IM'ng from within Facebook proper will probably welcome the change, but if you're using a standalone client the likes of Adium on Mac or Pidgin on Windows you might be wondering what all the fuss is about. Sadly, it doesn't look like one of the mobile version's cooler features -- chat heads -- have made the transition just yet.
Samsung's ChatOn service will shut down next year (update)
After denying reports that its ChatOn service was close to being disbanded on a region-by-region basis, Samsung has announced in Korea that it's going away. According to Yonhap News, Samsung's statement said it will close up shop on February 1st. It's not immediately clear whether or not that will hold across all regions, but Samsung went on to state that users would be able to back up their data before the shutdown. The company blamed "changing market conditions" for the change, but seems that despite a claimed 100 million strong user base, people weren't really using the software preloaded on so many smartphones. Update: We contacted Samsung and were told that on February 1st, ChatOn will shut down in all markets except for the US. In the US, it will shut down at some point in Q1, but a date has not yet been announced.
Arrivederci: WhatsApp cited in 40 percent of adulterous Italian divorces
Technology can bring people together... and tear them apart, apparently. The Italian Association of Matrimonial Lawyers claims that WhatsApp chats are cited as evidence in 40 percent of Italian divorce cases where cheating is involved. Reportedly, a lot of these less-than-faithful spouses can't help but message their lovers, whether it's to whisper sweet nothings or send sexy photos. In some cases, lawyers say they've seen people juggle "three or four" partners through WhatsApp at one time -- probably not how the developers pictured people using their service.
Samsung says its ChatOn messaging service is staying put
Samsung may have shut down some of its services in recent months, but ChatOn? It's not going anywhere. While The Korea Times claimed that Samsung was going to drop its messaging service on a "region-to-region" basis because it wasn't making cash, the company tells The Verge that those rumors are "false." The service will stick around for people "worldwide," it says. That's good to hear, although it's true that ChatOn isn't the most popular messaging hub around. While you can use it on most modern devices, it had 100 million users at last check -- a fraction of what you see at powerhouses like WeChat (600 million) and WhatsApp (over 500 million). That's healthy, but it's clear that many see ChatOn as a bonus on Samsung devices rather than a must-have social tool.
Code hints that Facebook Messenger will let you pay your friends
If you've ever had a Facebook friend in need of some money, you may soon have a way to pay them without much fuss. Stanford student Andrew Aude has shown off hidden code in Facebook Messenger's iOS app that will let you send funds much in the same way that you share a photo; you just have to add a payment card and a PIN code. The transaction is private and appears to be free at the moment, although it won't be surprising if Facebook eventually takes a small cut of each transfer.