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WhatsApp statuses get a big overhaul with voice, emoji reactions and more
WhatsApp has introduced some new updates to Status, the feature introduced in 2017 as an answer to Snapchat or Instagram Stories.
WhatsApp adds new privacy controls for profile photos and ‘Last Seen’ status
After previewing the feature in beta last April, WhatsApp is rolling out greater privacy controls for Profile Photo, About, Status and Last Seen settings.
Instagram’s Threads is compelling, but kind of creepy
Look, I'm not one to constantly post selfies. I'd rather just take pictures of random buildings or my sneakers. But, when I do take a selfie, it's mostly just so I can share a goofy face with my family or best friends. I've mentioned this before in previous stories about Facebook, Instagram has become one of my main messaging apps -- right up there with iMessage and WhatsApp. That's why the idea of Instagram's new Threads app, which is designed specifically for private messages between you and your closest friends, sounds so intriguing.
Instagram's Threads is a camera app for sharing with your closest friends
If you want to get a glimpse of Mark Zuckerberg's "privacy-focused" vision for Facebook, then look no further than Instagram's new social app: Threads. This new standalone, camera-first messaging app is an extension of Instagram's Close Friends feature on Stories, which lets you share pictures, videos and more only with groups of people you've carefully selected. As the Facebook CEO has said in recent months, his plan is to take Facebook into an era of "simple, intimate places," where individuals can have a dedicated space for private interactions on its family of apps. And with Threads from Instagram, which launches today on iOS and Android, the company is taking a step in that direction.
Get ready to see ads in WhatsApp stories
In a move that goes against WhatsApp's founders' wishes, Facebook is set to squeeze ads on to the messaging app. Adverts will soon start surfacing within WhatsApp's Status feature (that's the app's take on Stories for those out of the loop), reports The Economic Times.
Twitter tests status updates and ‘ice breaker’ tweets
Last month, Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey told the House Committee on Energy and Commerce that one of his company's goals is to "increase the health of public conversation" on its platform. And it's a talking point Twitter has come back to throughout the year. In March, it reached out to experts for ideas on how to promote healthy, open and civil conversations online and in September, the company sought feedback on a proposed policy that would ban dehumanizing speech. Now, the company is testing a handful of new features aimed at encouraging users to talk to each other.
Instagram adds status markers to your DM list
Instagram started telling you when your friends were active in the direct message list last January. Now the photo-centric social network is expanding the feature with a new green dot to indicate who is online and active.
WhatsApp borrows Facebook's colorful status updates
Now you can switch your WhatsApp status update to suit your mood. You can stitch photos and videos together to make it look like Snapchat -- or you can make it look more like its parent company's status updates. The chat application has updated its iOS and Android versions, giving it the ability to post text-based updates (with links, if you want) against colorful backgrounds, just like Facebook's. It's a non-essential feature, really, but it's definitely more eye-catching than your typical text-based status -- we won't judge if you want to use it to catch people's attention.
WhatsApp status updates now look a lot like Snapchat
Facebook is continuing its bid to bring a dash of Snapchat to all its apps. In a confirmation of rumors from the fall, WhatsApp has overhauled its status feature with an option to share photos and videos much like you would in Snapchat Stories. Much like what you see in Instagram, you can stitch together photos and videos to illustrate what you're doing in a way that text alone wouldn't capture. They're encrypted like normal chats, WhatsApp says. The feature starts arriving today on Android, iOS and Windows phones.
Hangouts for Gmail brings back the status update
Back when Google Talk ran Gmail-based chats, a handy custom status window made sure all your colleagues and pals knew what you were up to. When Hangouts took over, the tool fell by the wayside. Well, now it's back. Hangouts in Gmail allows you to deliver that info once more, just like you would on AIM or Facebook, complete with the appropriate (or inappropriate) emoji should the need arise. Of course, if you're looking to let folks know when you're busy, you'll need to make sure you've made the switch to the "new Hangouts" first.
Facebook stops oversharing, defaults status updates to just friends
Previously, when you first joined Facebook, all of your posts would be shared with the world by default. Anyone who stumbled upon your profile could read anything you previously shared, be it a short update or a personal photo, unless you deliberately clicked away from "Public." Now, the social site's switched things up for the better, making "Friends" the new default for status updates. You don't have to do anything to take advantage, but now's as good a time as any to pay very close attention to your Facebook privacy settings. And maybe be a bit more selective when it comes time to add a new friend.
Facebook now lets you know if your friends are using mobile app or the web
We'd hardly call it a ground-breaking feature, but it's pretty nice that Facebook now lets you know whether the friends you're chatting with are using the mobile app or the website. To the right of a user's name you'll now see the words "web" or "mobile," letting you know whether or not a buddy is seated in front of their PC and ready to chat, or out and about firing off rather brief replies. People started noticing the new feature pop up yesterday, but now the social network has confirmed that it's rolling out the statuses globally. If you're not seeing it just yet, be patient. A few Engadget editors are seeing the web/mobile messages on the site already, but we're not having luck yet with the mobile app.
Google Hangouts for Android update finally lets you know who is signed in
One of the major gripes users have had since the Google Hangouts platform and apps rolled out is that they could no longer actually see if their contacts are active before sending them a message. A new update for the Android app is ready to fix that, and is rolling out over the next few days. As shown in the image above, green icons on the photo mean they're available, grey icons mean they aren't. Another change is that when you start a hangout it lists People you Hangout with, Suggested People and then Other Contacts (as shown above). Finally, Hangout invites have popped to the top of your conversations so they're easy to find, and you can hide people from the New Hangout screen by long-pressing their name and then selecting "Hide Contact." So, are all of the old Google Talk features you needed back in action (outbound calls from the desktop returned in July), or is there anything else still missing?
Klipsch launches Status headphones and Gig Bluetooth speaker (hands-on)
Klipsch, worldwide enemy of fast-typing journalists, has arrived at IFA with two new audio products for our enjoyment. First up, the company is touting the Gig, a portable Bluetooth speaker with a clip-on arm that doubles as a stand. Packing AptX, NFC and a battery rated for 12 hours of life, the speaker is controlled with a chunky analog knob which reminds us of a childhood wasted playing with audio separates. Sound-wise, the Gig crams in four drivers -- two tweeters and a bass up front, while a second bass 'round back balances out the sound. At least, that's what Klipsch says, anyway. Black and white versions will launch in October for $200, and if you want to jazz up your sound with a different-colored strap, you can purchase additional hues from the company website. Wanna hear about Klipsch's other offering? Head on past the break.
Apple debuts new, more detailed status page for iCloud and other services
As those affected by recent iMessage outages no doubt noticed, Apple's status page for its various services hasn't exactly been the most detailed around. That's changed a bit today, however, with the company rolling out a new page that promise to offer a better look at what's working and what's not across iCloud, iTunes and Apple's other services. As you can see above, that includes a grid that provides a quick look at any outages currently occurring, below which is a more detailed timeline that lets you look back at any past outages and how long they lasted.
Facebook rolls out comment editing, embraces your change of heart
Facebook has long betrayed you by forwarding your drunken wall ramblings in an email for posterity. Previously, though, the only way to limit further public shame was to try to delete the comment altogether. Now, it looks like the loose fingered have been given a reprieve, as the social giant is rolling out the ability to edit your ill-thought missives long after the fact. Even better, this seems to extend back to those written in the past. Don't think you can be sneaky though, as an "edited" link will appear below, letting everyone see the thread history. So even if you change your opinion, that indecision remains for all to see.
Apple hits HTC with third ITC dispute, One series goes under the gun
Apple chief Tim Cook might have said that he doesn't like lawsuits, but he must have left a loophole open for International Trade Commission disputes. His company quietly filed a third challenge against HTC on June 4th (just now coming to light) that -- surprise -- claims HTC is still violating patents that it supposedly worked hard to avoid. If successful, Apple would slap down 29 devices that include a much more modern set of hardware than the first two disputes, including the One X (and EVO 4G LTE), One S and One V. Apple had success in December with the final results of its first ITC complaint and may simply be rolling the dice to try for more. Whatever throw Apple lands, there's no doubt that HTC and its fans are exasperated at the thought of more launch delays, or worse.
Facebook testing 'highlight' feature, lets users pay $2 to promote their status updates
Finding ways to throw money at Mark Zuckerberg is notoriously difficult, but a new 'highlight' feature could be just the trick. Currently being tested with a small population of users, it allows an ordinary member to pay $2 to ensure that their latest status update crops up in more of their friends' news streams. Ordinarily, the degree to which a status update is streamed depends on the number of likes or comments it has, which ensures that users generally only see the juiciest gossip, but paying this little premium would cause Facebook's algorithms to distort that in your favor. In other words, it's money replacing popularity, or simply -- sigh -- life.
Refresh Roundup: week of January 16, 2012
Your smartphone and / or tablet is just begging to get updated. From time to time, these mobile devices are blessed with maintenance refreshes, bug fixes, custom ROMs and anything in between, and so many of them are floating around that it's easy for a sizable chunk to get lost in the mix. To make sure they don't escape without notice, we've gathered every possible update, hack, and other miscellaneous tomfoolery from the last week and crammed them into one convenient roundup. If you find something available for your device, please give us a shout at tips at engadget dawt com and let us know. Enjoy!
Engadget Podcast 250 - 07.29.2011
Yes yes, y'all: it's the Engadget Podcast. We're brimming this week, as usual, with the low down on what's going down with all the new stuff. We've got the killer combo of lots of streaming news and a dearth of optical drives. We've got shaky earnings calls translating into big deals on the floor at Best Buy. And boy, do we have a little bit of Android news? We do! It's all here, as usual. Enjoy.Host: Tim Stevens, Brian HeaterGuests: Dana Wollman, Richard LawlerProducer: Trent WolbeMusic: Beethoven's 5th02:24 - Mac mini review (mid 2011)03:20 - Editorial: Apple's officially over the optical drive, for better or worse09:16 - MacBook Air review (mid 2011)16:10 - Netflix adds Mad Men in the US today, CBS content in Canada and Latin America later16:34 - Amazon Prime Instant Video is adding CBS TV shows, including all of Star Trek17:50 - Amazon strikes movie streaming deal with Universal, adds 'Fear and Loathing' to free shipping24:17 - The Engadget Show - 023: We tour a headphone factory, talk record labels, and look at They Might Be Giants' favorite gadgets25:36 - Nintendo posts earnings, drops 3DS from $249 to $169 August 12th, current owners get 20 free games28:47 - Logitech CEO steps down after money losing Q1, Revue price slashed to $9937:15 - Toshiba Thrive review39:52 - HTC Status review44:46 - Windows Phone 7.5 Mango in-depth preview (video)46:20 - HTC CFO says it's time to 'figure it out' with Apple48:52 - Two more fake Apple Stores spotted by officials in China, two get the smackdown50:40 - Listener questionsHear the podcastSubscribe to the podcast[iTunes] Subscribe to the Podcast directly in iTunes (enhanced AAC).[RSS MP3] Add the Engadget Podcast feed (in MP3) to your RSS aggregator and have the show delivered automatically.[RSS AAC] Add the Engadget Podcast feed (in enhanced AAC) to your RSS aggregator.[Zune] Subscribe to the Podcast directly in the Zune MarketplaceDownload the podcastLISTEN (MP3)LISTEN (AAC)Contact the podcastSend your questions to @tim_stevens.Leave us a voicemail: (423) 438-3005 (GADGET-3005)E-mail us: podcast at engadget dot comTwitter: @tim_stevens @bheater @danawollman @rjcc
