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China arrested former Huawei staff for talking about Iran deal online
China arrested former Huawei staff for chatting about its Iran deal, showing just how zealously the country defends its tech giant.
WhatsApp claims spyware firm launched attacks with US servers
WhatsApp has accused NSO Group of launching its surveillance attacks from US servers despite claims to the contrary.
Telegram promises secure group video calls sometime this year
Telegram says it will add secure group video calls in 2020.
Facebook releases an experimental messaging app for Apple Watch
Facebook's latest experimental app is designed to help you keep in touch with family and close friends.
Facebook's latest app experiment is a 'private space' for couples
We’ve asked Facebook if there are plans for a wider release.
WhatsApp imposes even stricter limits on message forwarding
“We believe it’s important to slow the spread of these messages down to keep WhatsApp a place for personal conversation,” the company added.
WhatsApp debuts coronavirus fact-checking hub
WhatsApp can be more than a messaging app -- in Europe, India and other parts of the world, it's a social network in its own right. To help avoid the spread of misinformation about the coronavirus pandemic, the company -- which is owned by Facebook -- created an information hub that provides advice on how users can look after friends and family, stay cognizant of the latest developments and share verified information. The website was launched in partnership with the World Health Organization, UNICEF and UNDP, and is meant to help in more than just a social context -- healthcare providers, educators, local governments and businesses can learn how to best connect with one another while social distancing is advised.
Line messenger now works with Google Assistant on Android
If you use Line's Android messaging app, you can now ask Google Assistant to send and read text messages. It's as simple as saying, "Hey Google, send a Line message to..." or "Hey Google, read my Line messages."
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.
Google search is showing invitations to private WhatsApp groups
Your private WhatsApp group might not be as private as you'd like. DW journalist Jordan Wildon has noticed that Google is indexing at least some WhatsApp group invitations in its search, making it possible to slip into groups that owners might not want to be public. While many of these are fairly innocuous, some include sensitive data. Motherboard discovered one group apparently aimed at UN-accredited non-governmental organizations where it was possible to see the list of all 48 participants, including their phone numbers.
WhatsApp now has over 2 billion users
WhatsApp just hit a major milestone that seemed unimaginable even for Facebook a few years ago. The messaging service has revealed that it now has over 2 billion users, a figure that its parent company reached back in 2017. It didn't explain just how it reached that user count, but it's not hard to see why. WhatsApp is a staple of mobile communication in many parts of the world, and in some cases plays an important role in shopping, political campaigning and other aspects of daily life. There are few other major rivals, and its sibling Facebook Messenger is one of them.
Samsung adds Google Duo to the Galaxy S20 dialer
Samsung has confirmed rumors that its Galaxy S20 lineup will integrate Google Duo. From the dialer, users will simply tap Duo to start a video call in Full HD with 5G. And, since Duo works across operating systems, you won't be limited to who you can video chat with.
WhatsApp desktop security flaw gave intruders remote access to files
You'll want to update WhatsApp's desktop client if you use it to chat on your computer. PerimeterX researcher Gal Weizman has revealed that Facebook patched a security vulnerability in WhatsApp's Mac and Windows versions that let attackers insert JavaScript into messages and remotely access files. The software was running an older release of Google's Chromium web engine (all the way back to version 69) with known flaws that made it relatively easy to slip in rogue code. It wouldn't have been difficult to alter messages, look for sensitive documents or install additional malware.
Discord drops the activity feed and game library you weren't using
Do you use Discord to launch games and keep up with the latest gaming news? No? You're not the only one. Discord is dropping both the Activity Feed and Library from its chat app as of today. The feed wasn't doing a good job of keeping people updated and "added bulk," the company said, while the Library tab and the Universal Game Launcher just haven't been "useful" to players.
Google's latest stab at messaging may be an all-in-one business app
Believe it or not, Google might still be tinkering with its chat strategy. The Information sources say Google is working on a unified communications app for workers that would roll messaging and other features together, including Hangouts Chat, Hangouts Meet, Gmail and Google Drive. Effectively, it'd serve as a more direct rival to office messaging apps like Slack and Microsoft Teams. You'd still have to venture elsewhere for features like your calendar, but you wouldn't have to switch apps just to hold a videoconference or reply to a colleague's email.
Messaging app ToTok is reportedly a spying tool for the UAE
It's no secret that some messaging apps are favored by authoritarians, but one app may be explicitly designed with spying in mind. Unnamed US officials speaking to the New York Times say that the chat app ToTok is believed to be a surveillance tool for the United Arab Emirates. According to a classified intelligence report, the UAE uses ToTok to follow users' conversations, track locations (under the guise of weather), determine social connections and look at media. Most of the app's million of users live in the UAE, but it's popular elsewhere in the world and has seen a surge of demand in the US.
RCS messaging is now available to all Android users in the US
After years of delays and very limited rollouts, next-generation texting is finally available to all Android users in the US. Android Messages product manager Sanaz Ahari has confirmed that the American RCS rollout completed on December 9th, or a few weeks ahead of Google's end-of-2019 target. If you still don't have the rich chat technology, you'll want to be sure that both Android Messages and Carrier Services are up to date.
WhatsApp banned over 400,000 accounts during Brazil's election
There's little doubt that Facebook had to deal with a ton of fake news during Brazil's 2018 election, but now it's clearer just how much was on its plate. A document submitted to an investigation of misinformation during the presidential election has revealed that WhatsApp banned over 400,000 accounts in Brazil between August 15th and October 28th of last year. While WhatsApp's privacy-protecting encryption prevented the team from banning users based on message content, it used behavior to crack down on "automated and bulk messaging activities."
Google rolls out next-gen RCS texting to Android users in the US
At long last, you can get next-gen text messaging on your Android phone in the US without vendor-specific support or resorting to unofficial tricks. Google is rolling out Rich Communication Services (RCS) support to Android Messages users across the US. When it arrives, you'll be prompted to enable chat features in the app. RCS should be "broadly available" by the end of 2019, Google said.
