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Facebook introduces new privacy settings for Messenger
Facebook will allow users to limit who can message them via Messenger.
Facebook brings screen sharing to Messenger on Android and iOS
Facebook added screen sharing to Messenger video calls on its iOS and Android apps.
Twitter DMs will be easier to access in Android 11
Twitter DMs will be available from virtually anywhere in Android 11.
Facebook experiments with adding Face ID to Messenger inbox
Facebook Messenger's latest test adds extra security to your inbox.
Facebook Messenger adds pop-ups to warn users about scams
Facebook wants to make it harder for scammers to trick unsuspecting users on Messenger.
You can launch Facebook's Zoom rival from your Instagram inbox
Facebook's Zoom rival is coming to Instagram.
Facebook's small business tools include a new Messenger inbox
Facebook is planning more features to help business owners stay connected with customers.
Facebook takes on Zoom with 'Messenger Rooms'
Facebook introduced Messenger Rooms, a feature that makes the chat app much more like Zoom.
Facebook introduces a 'care' reaction in difficult times
Messenger users, meanwhile, can activate a new pinky-purple heart by long-pressing the existing heart reaction.
WHO debunks coronavirus misinformation on Facebook Messenger
Facebook and the World Health Organization (WHO) are again teaming up to make it easier to find reliable information about the coronavirus.
Facebook’s rebuilt Messenger is a big step towards unifying its chat apps
Facebook just moved one step closer toward its goal of allowing users to swap messages across Messenger, WhatsApp and Instagram. Today, the company announced that it's rolling out a new version of Messenger for iOS that's been rebuilt "from the ground up." This is the "Lightspeed" redesign the company first teased last year at F8. But, besides, faster launch speeds, most users shouldn't notice much of a difference between the new app and the one they've already been using. That's because "Lightspeed" was more about simplifying Messenger's underlying code (Facebook notes the app went from 1.76 million lines of code to 360,000) than adding features to a notoriously bloated app.
Facebook removes Discover tab in Messenger to simplify chat
Do you spend your days browsing Facebook Messenger's Discover tab for bands, games and chatbots? No? You're not alone -- and Facebook is doing something about it. The social network has confirmed to TechCrunch that it's rolling out a Messenger redesign that axes the Discover tab, leaving just Chats and People. You'll also see People split into both active chatters and Stories, while Instant Games (to no one's surprise) and Transportation are gone from the chat composer's utility tray. Bots, games and other features aren't completely gone, but you will have to search for them.
FTC may block Facebook's integration plans for WhatsApp and Instagram
The US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is reportedly weighing an injunction against Facebook to stop it from integrating WhatsApp, Instagram and Facebook Messenger into its own services, according to the New York Times and Wall Street Journal. The news follows reports that the the FTC has been investigating Facebook as part of an antitrust investigation, on the grounds that it's policies are anticompetitive.
Even Facebook's Messenger is getting in on the Star Wars hype
In case you hadn't heard, there's a little indie movie coming out next week called Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. As if tie-ins from the likes of Le Creuset weren't enough for the future arthouse classic, Facebook is getting in on the act with its first branded chat theme for Messenger.
Facebook tells US, UK and Australia it won't weaken chat encryption
If officials were hoping that Facebook would stop end-to-end encryption in its messaging apps just because they sent a strongly-worded letter, they had another thing coming. Facebook has sent its own letter to US Attorney General Bill Barr, acting Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf and relevant Australian and UK ministers telling them that it wouldn't weaken encryption in apps like Facebook Messenger and WhatsApp. Its defense revolves largely around telling, well, the truth: that it's not possible to create an encryption backdoor that only law enforcement and government can access.
Facebook and Messenger’s new camera filter, stickers focus on mental health
In honor of World Mental Health Day, Facebook has launched a couple of features that it hopes will bring awareness to the cause and help people who may need emotional support. For starters, it worked with the World Health Organization (WHO) to create a camera filter for Facebook and Messenger Stories called "Let's Talk," which the company says is designed to be an invitation for friends or family to reach out for support if they're struggling. According to Facebook, based on a survey it conducted in the US, UK and Australia, 80 percent of people who participated said they could be more honest when using messaging apps, rather than speaking to someone in person -- hence why it thinks these features could be helpful.
The safest messaging apps
So you want to send a short, instant, text-based dispatch to another human. The options are endless -- iMessage, Slack, Instagram, WhatsApp, Skype, Snapchat -- but their security is variable. Short of whispering words into another person's ear, it's difficult to guarantee that no one else will ever be eavesdropping. For anything you wouldn't want to be seen by your ISP or used against you in a court of law, end-to-end encryption is necessary. It works by giving every user of an app a public key and a private key. Messages sent to you are encrypted with your public key and can only be opened with the private key. To anybody without your private key -- including the app company or a government that comes for the data later -- the text is indecipherable.
Facebook paid people to transcribe Messenger voice chats
Add Facebook to the list of tech firms who've halted their audio transcriptions over privacy concerns. The company confirmed to Bloomberg that contractors had been transcribing Messenger voice chats to determine if AI had correctly interpreted the messages, but that it had "paused" the practice over a week ago in the wake of worries about other companies' transcription policies. The data was anonymized and came solely from people who'd volunteered for transcriptions, Facebook added.
Facebook's Instant Games are leaving Messenger
Facebook's Instant Games, casual games that you can play with friends, have never quite found a home since they were introduced in 2016. While serious gamers tend to overlook them, free-to-play Instant Games are surprisingly popular with some estimates saying more than 20 billion game sessions were played over two years.
Facebook's Avatars are a belated answer to Bitmoji
Facebook is hoping to shake up its emoji with something that will seem remarkably familiar. The company has introduced its long-expected Avatars, or personalized cartoon stickers that you can use in places like Messenger and the News Feed. They bear more than a passing resemblance to Snapchat's Bitmoji, and offer a similar amount of personalization. You can adjust basics like body types, skin color and hair, and throw in apparel that reflects your style. There's no image-based automatic creation, alas -- Facebook told TechCrunch that it wants to avoid the bias problems that can come with facial recognition.