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WhatsApp tests disappearing messages in its Android app
WhatsApp is testing disappearing messages. The feature appeared as a beta in version 2.19.275 of the Android app and was spotted by WABetaInfo. In the beta, the disappearing messages are available in group chats only, and they can be set to self-destruct in five seconds or an hour. There's no in-between, and you can't select individual messages to disappear -- they all vanish or none of them do.
Amazon adds Auto Delete for Alexa following privacy concerns
As part of its hardware event, Amazon just unveiled a new Auto Delete feature for Alexa that will automatically erase video recordings after three or 18 months. Users will be able to manage their preferences in Amazon's Privacy Hub.
How to delete old tweets so you don't get fired
This past Friday, Disney shocked fans of the Marvel Comic Universe with a stunning announcement that Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 director James Gunn had been fired from the project after decade-old offensive tweets of his had been uncovered. Regardless of the controversy surrounding how the tweets were unearthed (by right-wing troll Mike Cernovich) or whether Disney's drastic response was warranted, the fact remains that this entire episode could have been avoided with some basic, and often free, social-media housekeeping. It's called "deleting your old tweets so you don't lose your job once you get famous" and it's really easy to do.
Facebook promises to delete unpublished videos
Now that Facebook has been outed as keeping videos you've recorded but never published, the social media has promised to actually delete them. Last week, the sister of a New York Magazine writer found old videos that should have been cleaned off the site buried in her downloaded Facebook data archive. Facebook today apologized for this issue and told Select/All that it would delete the video content it should have in the first place.
Instagram helps you hide unwanted photos instead of deleting them
That sloppy Instagram selfie from 2 AM on the walk home. That glut of ice coffee compositions. That once-happy vacation photo with your ex. There are no shortage of reasons to delete your old Instagram missives, whether it's to ensure consistency of your personal brand (ugh), broken hearts, or just old-fashioned shame. Now, however, there's another option -- well, if you're one of the early testers. Instagram is testing a new "archive" option in addition to the typical (still permanent) delete option.
The Morning After: Monday, March 27th 2017
Hey, good morning! Hello from Monday morning. Over the weekend, we welcome the return of a 1998 gaming classic, toured the fanciest toilet showroom you'll ever see, and reported on a self-driving Uber crash. Oh, and in case you forgot, we will finally get to see Samsung's next flagship smartphone later this week.
Google Play will suggest neglected apps for you to uninstall
When you add an app from Google Play and space on your phone is tight, you're often stuck wondering which of your darlings programs you should kill delete. According to Android Police, Google Play is going to help your decision-making process by offering up suggestions as to what you no longer need. When you've run out of on-board storage, you'll be given a list of your least-used apps, ranked in order of weight. So, in the example, the store suggests that you wipe Google Translate or Facebook Messenger and free up some much-needed space. It's not clear if the feature is rolling out to users worldwide or if this is a limited trial, but we've asked Google to let us know.
Strings is a messaging service that lets you delete those drunk texts
It's still early enough in January that if you promise not to drunkenly text pictures of your behind to your friends, it still counts as a New Year's Resolution. Still, in an age where everyone's off-hand conversations can be made public in a flash, it'd be nice to regain some control of where our words are shared. That's where Strings comes in, since the iOS app is a rival to Snapchat and WhatsApp that clearly hopes to foster a consent culture around mobile messaging.
Far Cry 4 on PS3 fix: Delete everything
Ubisoft has a fix for problems with downloaded versions of Far Cry 4 on PS3, but it isn't pretty. To fix the "delete FC3 game data" issue, players have to delete the entire game, including save files, and re-download the "correct version" from the PlayStation Store, this one with a download size of 9.4GB. Below, see Ubisoft's full instructions on how to delete Far Cry 4 and its save files on PS3. Ubisoft has a cleaner fix for the PC version of Far Cry 4, which has an issue that sends the game to a black screen when it detects external USB devices. Patch 1.4.0 will launch on Friday, and Ubisoft says it should fix this issue. "Some have been able to temporarily fix this problem by disabling USB devices and certain drivers, but we realize this is in no way ideal," Ubisoft writes. All of this info comes courtesy of Ubisoft's new blogs featuring Live Updates and patch information for Far Cry 4 and Assassin's Creed: Unity.
Yahoo Japan will erase your digital footprint after you pass away
What happens to your online life after you've passed away? Unless you've left your passwords in the will, those Facebook and Twitter profiles will linger on for years to come. If you'd prefer your digital life to be as neatly tidied up as your real one, then Yahoo Japan is offering the solution. The outfit is offering Yahoo Ending, a service that'll help locals prepare for their funerals in the real world, as well as closing down their social media profiles after notifying followers and friends of their demise. The package will also close down any digital wallet accounts held by Yahoo, and can even offer basic will-writing advice for those who need it. There's no word on if the company plans to bring the offering to the western world, so until then, we'll just have to hope that future archaeologists don't use our poolside selfies as exhibits in a museum.
The Daily Grind: Have you ever killed off an MMO character?
Eliot's last Storyboard column about killing off characters in MMORPGs got me thinking how rare that practice is outside of permadeath MMOs, both in RP and a literal sense. It's rare that I delete a serious character that wasn't just a bank mule or throwaway toon, and in fact, the one time I did so, I did it for roleplay effect, killing her off for a story and deleting her for good. I don't think it's too common among my friends, either. In fact, I remember a hung-over guildie logging in one morning, shocked to discover that in a drunken rage the night before, he'd deleted his alchemist. I think that moment in time made me covet my characters; I'm almost afraid to delete them even if I never play them, lest I change my mind later. In City of Heroes, for example, I frequently moved abandoned characters to remote servers just in case. But other folks delete to dramatize roleplay, to get attention, to ensure they can't return, or to ensure a clean slate if they ever do return. What about you guys -- have you ever killed off or deleted a "serious" MMO character? And can I have your stuff? Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!
SkyDrive adds recycle bin, Excel surveys for the chronically indecisive
For all of the talk of cloud backups and sync, there isn't always a safety net when working from the cloud itself -- delete a file online and it might be gone forever. With that in mind, Microsoft just brought Windows' recycle bin concept to SkyDrive through a low-key update. You can now delete anything immediately, knowing that you can change your mind within three days -- and longer still, should the recycle bin occupy less than 10 percent of the storage limit. If you're just as uncertain about creating content as scrapping it, SkyDrive has also received support for creating and sharing Excel surveys to narrow down the scope of a project. The recycle bin should slide into your SkyDrive account within the next day; Excel surveys aren't yet polished enough, but they should be ready "soon."
Facebook starts really, truly deleting removed photos
For those who haven't kept track, Facebook has had a years-long history of only maybe-sort-of-more-or-less purging our photos: they could be removed from a profile, but they would sometimes float around the site's content delivery networks for months or years, just waiting for a prospective employer to spot those embarrassing frosh week snapshots by accident. As Ars Technica discovered through experiments and official remarks, that problem should now be solved. In the wake of a months-long photo storage system migration and an updated deletion policy, Facebook now won't let removed photos sit for more than 30 days in the content network stream before they're scrubbed once and for all. The improved reaction time isn't as rapid as for a service like Instagram, where photos vanish almost immediately, but it might be a lifesaver for privacy advocates -- or just anyone who's ever worn a lampshade on their head in a moment of insobriety.
Preparing your old iPad for sale in five easy steps (Update)
It appears from the huge pre-sales of the new iPad that a lot of people are getting the new model. We've also heard from a number of iPad "recyclers" that they're seeing record numbers of people who are selling their original iPad or iPad 2 to trade up to the new model. Since I'm among those who recycle their iPads whenever a new model appears, I thought I'd share my method of getting the old devices prepared for sale. There are five steps that you should take to prepare your old iPad for a new owner, even if it's just going to be turned over to a friend or relative. Follow along as I go through these steps: 1) Cancel your recurring monthly data plan if you have a Wi-Fi + 3G model This first step is only necessary if you have a Wi-Fi + 3G iPad. You'll want to make sure that you no longer need the 3G service before you do this, but it's a necessity if you don't want to continue getting billed every month for cellular data. Update: If you are staying with the same carrier and using the same plan, do not cancel your data plan, and don't follow Step 2 of this post. You can swap the SIM from your current iPad and put it into the new iPad. Steps 1 and 2 area really only useful if a) you're switching data carriers or b) getting rid of your iPad and not purchasing a new one. Go into Settings on your iPad, then tap the Cellular Data icon. You'll want to tap the View Account button, after which you'll need to log into your account using the email address and password that you used when you signed up for the service. Once you're signed in, you'll see an account overview (screenshot below). The shows the data plan you're using and the status of that plan (how many MB or GB you've used and how many are left). Next, tap the Add Data or Change Plan button. This brings up a list of plan options for your wireless carrier. To cancel the service, tap the Cancel Plan button. The following screen appears: You'll be asked if you want to cancel your plan and delete the account now, or cancel the plan and have the account deleted after 60 days of inactivity (screenshot below). Make your choice, and then tap the Continue button. After tapping the Cancel Plan button, your iPad pauses momentarily and then displays a note that tells you that you will be notified of the changes as soon as they are processed by your carrier. In my case with AT&T, that took about 30 seconds. 2) Remove the SIM if you have a Wi-Fi +3G model Next, you'll want to remove the SIM from your iPad. Once again, this is only necessary if you have a Wi-Fi + 3G model. Locate the SIM door on your iPad. On the original model, it is located lower left side as you face the screen. On the iPad 2, it's on the top left side. Now take a very skinny paper clip or one of Apple's SIM removal tools (which they no longer seem to provide, by the way), and push it into the hole at the top of the SIM door. The door pops open, revealing the SIM in its tray (see photo below). Pull it all the way out of the iPad, remove the SIM, and keep it as a souvenir. I have a pile of these things... When you're done, slide the door back into place until it clicks. Note that you'll get a "No SIM card installed" error message on your iPad the first time you power it on after you remove the SIM. 3) Back up your device OK, hopefully you're on a Wi-Fi network for the next step, backing up your iPad. Fortunately for all of us, we no longer need to back our iPads up to a Mac or PC unless we really want to. Instead, tap on the iCloud button in Settings and then tap the Storage & Backup button (screenshot below). Chances are good that your iPad has automatically backed itself up when it is plugged in at night. If it hasn't met the backup criteria of being plugged in, locked, and connected to Wi-Fi, the Storage & Backup screen will show that you haven't been backed up in a while. You can plug in your iPad and then tap the Back Up Now button to force a backup (screenshot below). Wait until the backup is done before moving on to step 4. 4) Delete everything Quoting the great line from Aliens, "I say we take off and nuke the site from orbit. It's the only way to be sure." The iPad equivalent of nuking the site from orbit is completely wiping its storage. The iPad and iPad 2 both support hardware encryption, so Apple's method of wiping your data is stated as "Erases user settings and information by removing the encryption key that protects the data. This process takes just a few minutes." To "nuke the site from orbit" is pretty easy. Go to Settings, tap on General, and then tap the Reset button. Next, tap the Erase All Content and Settings button (screenshot below). With a few minutes, your iPad is cleaned of all apps, data, and setting that you had on the device. You probably want to wait until after your new iPad is set up and running to do this... 5) Clean it up physically Many of the "recycling" services will actually pay more for iPads that look brand new. If your iPad spent most of its life in a case and has no scratches or dents, you'll get top dollar. What I always do before boxing up my old gear to send to the recyclers is to clean it physically. The best way to do this is to use any of the commercial cleaning sprays and a microfiber cloth. My current favorite brand of cleaner is the Antec Advance line, which comes in bottles of various sizes and will last a long time. Rather than spray the cleaner right onto the device, I always spray the cloth lightly and then begin wiping the screen and body to make sure that any and all smears are gone. Let the iPad dry completely, and then give it another close look to make sure you haven't missed something. That's it! Your iPad is now ready to leave your hands and go on to be used by someone else. Give it a goodbye kiss if you'd like -- just don't smear up the screen you just cleaned.
Microsoft showcases new copy, move, rename functions in Windows 8 (video)
Windows 8 has yet to see the light of day, but new details on the forthcoming OS continue to emerge. The most recent preview once again comes courtesy of Microsoft's Building Windows 8 blog, where the company has posted new information on the software's copy, move, rename and delete functions. With the new system, all pending copy operations will appear in one dialog, where users can pause, stop and resume any job, while monitoring data transfer rates on a real-time throughput graph (pictured above). Redmond's developers have also made it easier to resolve file name collisions, with a new dialog that displays thumbnail images of source files directly alongside preexisting documents of the same name. This allows users to decide which files they'd like to copy or replace by simply hovering their mouse over the image to see its file path, or double clicking it to open in full view. For more information, check out the demo video that's waiting for you after the break.
Lion: Deleting apps in Launchpad, and starting clean
Launchpad in Mac OS Lion shares a key behavior with its iOS counterpart: deleting an app from the launcher also uninstalls it from the computer, as long as the app was purchased from the Mac App Store. Of course, it's quick and easy to redownload the MAS apps if they're needed. While this insta-delete, complete with jiggling icons, may be counterintuitive for longtime Mac users, it makes perfect sense to iPhone or iPad users where there's a one-to-one mapping between apps on the launcher screen and apps installed on the device. On other mobile platforms, that's not necessarily the case: both Android and Blackberry devices have the ability to hide or subset visible apps versus the full suite of installed programs. The flip side of this strong linkage between installation/removal and visibility of MAS apps in Launchpad is that non-MAS/conventionally installed apps cannot be deleted from the Launchpad UI. If you don't want all that app clutter, the only default options are to move the space-wasting apps into Launchpad folders (laborious) or move the apps themselves out of the Applications folder in the Finder (boneheaded, and actually won't work, per commenters). Even resetting your Launchpad (as Erica noted last week) still includes all your apps in the launcher's pages. There is another way, however, to blank out your Launchpad and start clean. Web developer Loren Segal points out the 'nuclear option' of deleting all the app records from the Launchpad database, which lets you select individual apps to include by dragging their icons onto the Launchpad dock icon (command-click to select multiple apps before dragging). He suggests backing up the relevant database file beforehand, in case of issues, and I concur. Here's the process in the Terminal, line by line: mkdir ~/Desktop/DB_Backup [makes a folder on your desktop to back up the data files] cp ~/Library/Application\ Support/Dock/*.db ~/Desktop/DB_Backup/ [copies the database] sqlite3 ~/Library/Application\ Support/Dock/*.db 'DELETE FROM apps;' && killall Dock sqlite3 ~/Library/Application\ Support/Dock/*.db 'DELETE from apps;' \ ' DELETE from groups WHERE title<>""; DELETE from items WHERE rowid>2;' \ && killall Dock [deletes the app records from Launchpad's database, and restarts the Dock process; you'll see your minimized windows pop back to the screen. Update: Loren posted a new version, as above, that fixes the folders issue.] Blank Launchpad! You may notice that any folders previously in Launchpad will still be there, albeit vacant. To get rid of them, simply load at least one app into Launchpad, then drag the app into & out of the folder. It will 'evaporate' when it's empty. If you do decide that you prefer the full-list Launchpad, you can either restore the database to its original location, or follow the tip in Erica's post to reset/rebuild and get all your apps back.
TUAW's Daily Mac App: AppCleaner
Last week on the Daily Mac App we featured the infamous uninstaller AppZapper. Today we've got a fully-featured free alternative, AppCleaner. Available from FreeMacSoft, the freeware (donations accepted) AppCleaner does what it says on the tin. Just like AppZapper, you can drag-and-drop the offending application onto AppCleaner to locate and delete all the associated files. Alternatively you can hit the Applications, Widgets or Others tabs to find and delete things directly from AppCleaner. "Others" thankfully includes Preference Panes, so you can get rid of any unwanted additions to your System Preferences with ease. So far so good, it does exactly what AppZapper does, but it's free. AppCleaner does have one unique feature, however, and that's "SmartDelete." An option in the preferences, SmartDelete allows you to carry on deleting apps the way Apple intended by just sending them to the trash, but with the added benefit of trashing all the associated files automatically. While SmartDelete is running, AppCleaner is supposed to detect that you've trashed an app and offer to find the associated files for you. I couldn't get it to work, but free's free right? If you want to get rid of some applications you've installed but never use, AppCleaner does the job fine. It may not be the most comprehensive Mac cleaning app out there, but as uninstallers go, AppCleaner is free and works great. Perhaps with Lion landing soon, now is the time to start clearing out the cobwebs and get your Mac ready for the shiny new OS X 10.7. Thanks to brijazz for the suggestion.
TUAW's Daily Mac App: AppZapper
Uninstalling apps on a Mac is easy -- just delete the program from your Applications folder. But what about all the garbage of ancillary files that gets left behind? Zap 'em with AppZapper. AppZapper is an uninstaller that does everything for you and makes sure nothing is left behind. It'll find things like Services menu entries, preference files and any other small files not stored in the .app file. Simply drag-and-drop the application you want shot of, AppZapper will then show you what it's found and move it all to trash when you hit the "Zap!" button. AppZapper also has a more advanced program finder feature that lists all the programs you have installed that are ready for removal. It doesn't stop short of programs either -- Preference Panes, Dashboard widgets and plug-ins are all fair game. For those apps you want to keep, AppZapper also includes a "My Apps" feature. Simply drag-and-drop apps into a collection pane, and it will then create app "cards," on the back of which you can store license information and other things. Handy for keeping all your registration information in one place for those apps not in the Mac App Store. If you're constantly installing and uninstalling applications on your Mac, an app like AppZapper is a Godsend. It's quick, easy, and most of all, effective. There's a free trial available on the AppZapper website that gives you five free Zaps, so it's certainly worth a try. Once you've tried it and liked it, the app will set you back US$12.95.
Erase the social network past with Last Night Never Happened
Let's be honest: We all enjoy a good night out on the town occasionally, and when fun happens these days, chances are you might say or post something on various social networks that you probably shouldn't, be that something negative about your boss or your ex, or just a little too much information about your current state of mind. Now there's an iPhone app that purports to deal with exactly these lapses in judgement. Last Night Never Happened is an iPhone app that, when given access to your Facebook and/or Twitter accounts, will delete or replace any social network postings that you happen to regret. The app will go back up to 48 hours, and as you can see in the demo, will clear out any photos, tweets, or Facebook posts you need to delete, optionally replacing them with a much nicer message. Unfortunately, the app doesn't do any more than Twitter or Facebook, so all of those OK Cupid messages you sent are there to stay. And according to the fine print on the app, it doesn't do Facebook's status updates either, so you'll have to go deal with those yourself. But if you often find yourself regretting messages you sent and posted the night before, Last Night Never Happened may be able to help. It's $1.99 on the App Store right now. [via LaughingSquid]
Further developments in MapleStory Europe's hacking madness
Last week, we brought you the news that players abusing an exploit had brought MapleStory Europe's in-game economy to its knees. Using a packet-forging exploit, players with the Meso Guard skill were able to trick the server into giving them 2.17 billion mesos. Hundreds of mule accounts were created to house the forged currency, and trillions was poured into the economy via trades and market stalls. Nexon EU's initial response was to trade-ban all characters with over a certain amount of currency, a move that was criticised for catching a great deal of legitimate players and also somehow missing many of the hackers' mule accounts. Despite concerns that the issue had gotten out of hand, Nexon EU stated that the company opted not to perform a server rollback. "The reason why we didn't perform a rollback on our servers," a Nexon EU representative told us, "was because we detected the exploit too late which may make the players lose even more of their gains if we were to turn everything back." The company's final plan for dealing with the massive influx of mesos has finally been announced, and it's bad news for practically everyone involved. After determining that the damage to the economy had become irreversible, Nexon decided to try to bring balance back to the economy by deleting a large percentage of every single player's mesos. The forums have been in an uproar about the solution, with players complaining that it harms legitimate players more than the hackers. Legitimate players who have never cheated nor hacked will log in to find up to 90% of their hard-earned cash gone. Hackers will suffer the same percentage deduction, but with trillions stashed away in mule accounts they'll still be a lot better off than they were before the incident. Nexon EU clarified the statement in a later announcement, stating that "the deduction of Mesos will only be applied to users who have logged into the game between January 5th, 2011 and February 9th, 2011 5:00 A.M. (GMT+1)." Accounts that were previously trade-banned will also be receiving 1,000 maple points and an incubator as compensation.
