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Fortnite's new 'Party Hub' feature gives mobile players a voice
Fortnite recently united players with updates that everyone hated equally, but today it unveiled an app that will literally bring players together. Party Hub is an all-new cross-platform voice chat app that lets players socialize even when they're not playing the game. It's based on technology from Houseparty, the group video chat app that Epic Games acquired in June.
Google Duo's group video calls roll out to everyone
Google is making Duo more useful as it's rolling out group video calls to everyone on Android and iOS. You can have up to eight people on a call at once (a far lower limits than FaceTime's 32 and Skype's 50). Group calls gradually went live in some markets this month, but now they'll be available for everyone.
Google is testing group calling in Duo
Google's upgrade strategy for Duo could include some highly sought-after features. Android Police sources say Google is testing a group calling feature in at least the Android version of its video chat app. It only supports seven people at once (no 32-person parties here), but it's relatively straightforward. You just have to create a group and then start a call with those people. If there's a limitation, it's that you can't add anyone into a group in mid-call.
Facebook Groups now supports 250-person chat rooms
If your Jimmy Neutron Facebook Group has felt a bit dull, that's probably because the social media giant didn't allow members to jump into a giant, early '00s-style group chat Well, Facebook plans to gradually roll out a new feature that will allow Groups to launch specific sub-chats up to 250 members. Not only that, groups can start audio or video calls with up to 50 members.
Apple's FaceTime offers group chats for up to 32 people
During its rundown of updates for iOS at WWDC, Apple revealed that FaceTime will soon support group video calls. But that's not the best part. Inside those group chats, the app will allow you to coordinate meetups with up to 32 people. That's one hell of a conference call.
WhatsApp helps you keep up with group chats
Group chats are virtually essential to WhatsApp -- it's not uncommon for families or even community organizations to use it for staying in touch. To that end, WhatsApp is adding a string of features that help you keep abreast of group chats, whether you're running the show or one chatter among many. Administrators can set descriptions, rules and topics for groups, and determine who's allowed to change those settings (including the option to remove permissions from regular users). And no matter how much power you have, you can use a catch-up feature to check your mentions or search for participants from the group info page.
WhatsApp will finally offer group video calls
WhatsApp may be a cornerstone of the chat world, but it's missing a feature rivals like Skype have had for years: group video chat. Or rather it was. Facebook has revealed that WhatsApp is adding a group video calling feature in the months ahead. There aren't many details at this stage, but it's clear the feature will allow four particpants and work with smartphones.
Slack's shared channels make it easier to ditch guest accounts
Slack competitors seem to be popping up at regular intervals these days. There's Facebook at Work, Google Hangouts Chat, and a bunch of rival apps from scrappy startups. Unfazed by the clones, Slack's star is still rising. The company announced today that its group chat platform has amassed more than 9 million weekly users. To celebrate, it's launching two new features. Chief among the updates are "shared channels," which essentially allow for cross-organization work in Slack.
Discord chats may be crucial to lawsuits over neo-Nazi violence
Discord was quick to shut down neo-Nazi servers and accounts in the wake of racist violence in Charlottesville, but that doesn't mean those conversations are gone forever. In fact, they may be instrumental to making criminal cases and lawsuits stick. The media collective Unicorn Riot has obtained leaked Discord chat screenshots (about 1,000 of them) and audio suggesting that many of the white supremacists were gearing up for a fight even as their organizers were supposedly calling for non-violence. In the days after the Charlottesville march, they also made light of the car attack that murdered Heather Heyer and injured many others.
Google's YouTube party app is available without an invitation
You no longer need an invitation to see whether or not Uptime, the YouTube social viewing app, lives up to the hype. Google incubator Area 120 has made the app accessible to anyone in the US with an iOS device -- sorry, there's still no Android version. The app has gone through a few upgrades since its debut, including a new home screen to help you discover videos, support for music videos and an option for finding friends through Facebook. Either way, the core concept remains the same: you can either watch videos 'live' with your friends or watch their reactions to a previous session.
Google's Uptime is all about snarky YouTube parties
Last year, Google created Area 120, an incubator where employees with (approved) ideas can spend their "20 percent time" on side projects. One of the groups has just released Uptime, an app that lets you meet friends, share YouTube videos and add stickers, "sparkles," hearts and snarky comments. You can search for video content within the app, which can also will help you find friends "based on common connections within Uptime," according to the FAQ. Ironically, it's only available on iOS and not Google's Android, at least for now.
WhatsApp adds user mentions so you can't ignore group chats
Anyone who has been included in a group chat knows how annoying they can be. You end up muting the thread to keep the notifications from driving you crazy. Sometimes you do need to see a message and WhatsApp is adding a new tool that will make it a little more difficult to ignore group chats. The app now has user mentions so you can make sure whoever you need to see a message gets a notification about it.
Sean Parker revives Airtime as group video chat app
When the ex-Napster duo Sean Parker and Shawn Fanning first launched Airtime in 2012, it was a one-on-one Chatroulette-style video app with some social functions. Suffice to say, that didn't work out too well, and the app was in limbo for several years. However, the company continued working on it, and Airtime is now officially back in beta as a group video app. The idea is to create a "room" where you and your friends can chat, Google Hangouts-style, or watch videos, share links and listen to music.
Windows Phone 8 Rooms give every group its private space
Microsoft is already creating a safe, fenced-off area in Windows Phone 8 through Kids Corner, but it's expanding that to include nearly everyone through Rooms. A rough parallel to Groupme, Rooms lets families, friends or companies share calendars, chats, notes and photos without letting any prying eyes get a peek. And if others aren't following the Windows Phone way, they can still view some of the content from another platform. There's no doubt that Microsoft really hopes its communal addition is a way to squeak out an extra phone sale or two from those who like to stick together. For more, check out our Windows Phone 8 event liveblog! %Gallery-169556%
Facebook Messenger sinks Beluga, Raffi heads back to the drawing board
Beluga has just confirmed the inevitable -- it's being swallowed by Facebook Messenger. The group messaging app will no longer send texts as of November 11th and will shut down for good on December 15th, just a few months after Zuckerberg & Co acquired it, alongside digital book-maker Push Pop Press. "Now that Facebook Messenger is available everywhere, we've decided to stop offering Beluga as a separate service," the company explained in a blog post last week. If you'd like to grab an archive of your pods before the December 15th shutdown, you can do so at the coverage link below. Otherwise, just head past the break to join us in maritime remembrance.
Google+ moves from field trial to beta, adds Hangouts on phones, search and more
Well, it looks like the "field trial" is officially over. Google today announced that its Google+ social network has moved up to beta status and, as a result, it's now open to everyone (no invitation required). It's also rolled out a slew of new features for the occasion, including a number of improvements to the Hangouts video chat service. That includes Hangouts on your phone (Android 2.3+ only, for now), a new Hangouts On Air feature for public broadcasts, and a number of "extras" including screensharing, a sketchpad and shared Google Docs (not to mention Hangouts APIs). Google's now also finally added search functionality across the site, and it's renamed the Huddle group chat feature to Messenger (which also includes a number of new tweaks). Hit the links below for the complete rundown on what's new.
Samsung's ChatON messaging service brings free texting to Android, iOS and BlackBerry (video)
It looks like Samsung is about to dip its toes in the mobile messaging market, with a new service called ChatON. Slated to debut at this week's IFA, the app brings texting, group chat and image / video sharing to not only Samsung's Bada OS, but to iOS, Android and BlackBerry platforms, as well. According to the Korean manufacturer, the new client will be available in two versions: a basic one for feature phones and another, more complex variation that allows smartphone users to comment on other profiles, send animated messages and visualize their most frequently contacted friends, as displayed above. The company is also planning to release a web-based version that would bring similar functionality to PCs. ChatON is slated to go live next month (in more than 120 countries and 62 languages), but you can find more information in the demo video and translated PR, after the break.
Skype wants the people to fix Skype 5 for Mac, will you answer the call?
Skype 5 for Mac leaves something to be desired -- we know it, you know it, and looks like Skype knows it too. That's why our fav VoIP app is soliciting the help of you, the people, to improve its UI. Skype's running a competition to find the one chat style to rule them all, and it starts taking custom CSS submissions April 8th. The contest has three rounds, with one judges' and one people's choice in each, followed by the selection of a grand prize winner from the six finalists. People's champs get an Apple TV and those picked by the judges snag a WiFi iPad 2, and all the winners get a copy of CSS3 for Web Designers and a year's subscription to Skype Unlimited World Extra. The grand prize is an eleven-inch MacBook Air, an iPad2, and the ego boost that comes with knowing your chat style forged in the flames of competition will be included in a coming release of Skype. Up to the challenge? Hit the source link for the full details.
Skype 5 for Mac continues to frustrate -- how's it treating you?
It's rare that a new piece of software generates only positive feedback, but the world's most popular VoIP app has seemingly frustrated throngs of loyal Mac users, including a number of technologically savvy individuals within these very walls. A brilliant comparison of the old vs. new has emerged over at Ignore The Code (linked down below for your perusal), and it got us wondering -- are average consumers seeing this any differently? There's no question that Skype 5 for Mac looks a heck of a lot like the Windows build, but as the aforesaid article points out, it seems that the UI engineers lowered the standard of the OS X version rather than dragging the Windows variant up. What makes the new edition so difficult to swallow is just how ideal the prior model was -- now, it's a chore to spot contacts, initiate chats and handle the most basic of tasks that Skype should handle. So, we'll leave it to you: is Skype heading in the wrong direction in terms of usability and functionality, or should the collective world just get a grip? %Poll-62303%
37signals buys Ember, kindles an official Campfire iPhone app
Campfire, from 37signals, is a web-based group chat tool that uses secure chat rooms to allow groups to collaborate from wherever they are. A little over a year ago, the developers at Overcommitted came out with an iPhone client for Campfire. That app, Ember, cost $9.99, and was an excellent tool for remotely joining a Campfire group and getting work done on the road. Well, the app was so good that 37signals announced today that they've purchased the app from Overcommitted, renamed it to Campfire for iPhone, and they're giving it away for free in the App Store. According to the 37signals blog, the company was so impressed with Ember that they approached Overcommitted about purchasing it, and the developer was happy with the idea. A deal was cut, a few changes were made to the app, the app made it through the Apple vetting process, and as of yesterday, Ember is known as Campfire for iPhone. If your team uses Campfire for collaboration and file sharing, be sure to grab Campfire for iPhone as soon as possible. The app works on devices running iOS 3.1.3 or later, although it is not optimized for iPad. [via Mashable]
