notifications
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WhatsApp tests feature that sends flight times through chat
WhatsApp wasn't kidding when said it wanted businesses to offer more than support via chat. The Facebook-owned service is testing tools that let companies send notifications of important events through chats. You may get updated flight times if an aircraft is delayed, for instance, or get a delivery notice when a package is nearly at your door. Alerts would come from verified accounts, so you'd know that it was the real deal and not a scammer hoping you'll tap a phishing link.
Twitter adds more mute options to help filter out abuse
Twitter has added a few new options to its filter settings. Now you'll be able to disable notifications from accounts that you don't follow that are new, or don't follow you or just accounts you don't follow altogether. These additions follow a handful of others meant to help you keep out content that you don't want to see.
Alexa notifies you when Amazon has shipped your package
You can add one more device to the pile of gadgets vying for your attention, now that Amazon has switched Alexa's notifications on. The e-commerce titan first revealed that visual notifications were coming to its speakers on its developer site back in May. Now, the feature is live, though in very limited capacity. According to Fast Company and AFTVNews, it can only tell you about packages out for delivery at the moment. It doesn't seem to be available for other Alexa skills yet, but hey, at least you can take the feature for a spin on Prime Day.
Latest Windows 10 preview takes the headache out of high DPI
Because of old legacy programs, using Windows with high-res displays has always been a little tricky, especially if you're switching between multiple screens. The latest preview build pushed to Insiders helps with that problem by changing the way Windows tells a program what DPI it's using. With the new build 16237, if a user changes the resolution of the display by docking/undocking or adjusting a setting, they'll only need to close and reopen most programs to fix any blurriness, instead of rebooting or logging out.
Facebook’s next feature could be Instagram notifications
Facebook and Instagram might exist as individual services, but under the surface their ties run deep. Instagram users often test major new features before they're eventually ported across to the News Feed and it only takes a push of a button to share photos and videos with a wider selection of friends and family. Just as the Facebook and Messenger apps have grown closer, Instagram may also be integrated even deeper into the platform. TechCrunch reports that the social network is trialling a new feature that displays notification counters from the major Facebook-owned apps and allows users to quickly switch between them.
Android O adds Notification Dots to your app icons
If you have an Android phone, you probably live through the notification panel. The bite-size alerts become a to-do list of sorts, summarizing which apps and messages require your attention. With Android O, Google is giving the experience a bit of a revamp. "Notification Dots" are small, circular blobs that sit on top of your app icons. They'll only appear when you have an unread notification -- long-tap and you'll get a quick preview in the form of speech-like bubbles. You can either tap them to jump right in or drag down from the top of the screen (as normal) to get a better look.
Amazon is planning push notifications for your Echo
Amazon has been updating its line of voice-assistant devices to make them more user-friendly for a while. The Tap no longer needs a physical touch to activate it and your Echo devices can make calls and leave messages. Better yet, they will soon be able to whisper and have better wake word accuracy. According to a post on Amazon's developer site, Echo devices are getting another upgrade here, too: visual notifications for skills.
Google Chrome will automatically migrate to 64-bit on Windows
If you can use the 64-bit version of Chrome you probably should, for memory management, graphics performance and security reasons, but some people might not be on it yet. As of Chrome version 58, Google says that Windows users with a 64-bit OS and over 4GB of RAM will be automatically switched from 32-bit to 64-bit. For beta users, as 9to5Google points out, you'll notice notifications have changed to the native macOS setup on that OS (they'll look a little different, action buttons have changed and no more support for images), and it supports animated PNG files natively.
New York Post's mobile news alerts fall victim to a hack
If you're a hacker looking to grab attention by attacking a news outlet, what do you do? Deface their website? Take control of their social media accounts? Those are old hat -- apparently, you compromise the company's mobile app. An unknown party hijacked the New York Post app's push notification system on the night of April 1st, sending a flurry of alerts that were clearly meant as a protest against President Trump. The perpetrator left precious few clues as to their identity, but they're cultured -- they signed off with the ancient word "selah" (used in the Bible to encourage pause and reflection), and even borrowed lyrics from Nirvana's song "Come As You Are."
Android O teases big changes to save your battery
Google I/O is only a few months away -- but just like last year, we won't have to wait until then to get our first taste of what's coming to Android. Today, Google is releasing a developer preview of Android O, just over one year after first dropping details on Android 7.0 Nougat. Just like last year, the company is highlighting a handful of major features and letting developers know how they can try it out. But as is often the case with preview releases, Android O is not ready for regular users and not for the faint of heart.
Twitter briefly stops notifying people when they're on lists
Twitter just made a big (if momentary) blunder when it comes to fighting abuse. The social network briefly stopped providing notifications whenever someone adds you to a list, ostensibly to make sure you only see the "notifications that matter." However, it quickly backtracked when users pointed out that this only made harassment easier. Hate groups could build their hit lists in secret, leaving targets woefully unaware until the threatening tweets were already on the way.
Twitter is letting all users filter out trolls from their notifications
Twitter has been failing to deal with abuse on its platform for a good long time now, but it seems like the company might finally be taking some substantive action. Twitter just posted a blog detailing two new features as part of its notification settings that should be rolling out to all users soon. The first is a so-called "quality filter" that attempts to reduce unpleasant or abusive @ mentions you might receive. Twitter says it filters out tweets based on a variety of factors including "account origin and behavior."
Xbox Live now supports high-quality PC Twitch streaming
If you want to use the Xbox Live network to tell followers you're streaming Xbox One games on Twitch, there's just one way: Stream from the console's Twitch app. The problem is that the quality and options are very limited, since the Xbox One isn't exactly a TV production studio. However, Microsoft and Twitch have teamed up to make it possible to use Xbox Live when you're streaming from a PC using a capture card -- all you need to do is link your Xbox Live and Twitch accounts.
Samsung's 'Smart Glow' reinvents the notification LED
One of the perks of owning an Android phone is that manufacturers often include a notification LED that tells you when you have missed calls, tweets or text messages that need a response. Samsung has installed them in its mobile devices from time to time, but it may soon ditch them altogether in favor of something it calls "Smart Glow." SamMobile reports that the Smart Glow feature consists of a colored luminous ring that surrounds a device's rear camera and notifies users of calls and texts, but also when the battery is low or has reached full charge.
Twitter and TfL team up for instant Tube disruption alerts
From today, London's Tube and train passengers can get travel alerts sent to their phone, thanks to a partnership between Transport for London (TfL) and Twitter. In what's being described as a "world first" by the travel authority, the new service will notify travellers via a direct message if there are severe delays on their chosen line.
Google tests native desktop notifications for Chrome on Mac
Google Chrome already has its own desktop notifications for Windows and Mac to alert you to new Gmail messages and other updates. However, those pop-ups on Apple machines act independently from all of the other OS X notifications, so you can't employ that handy Do Not Disturb option to keep them hidden or peruse 'em from the Notification Center.
Instagram adds a notification tab to its web interface
Instagram's website has always felt like a bit of an afterthought. Sure, it works, with a feed and the ability to add likes and comments. But it's never been as polished or as fully featured as the company's mobile apps. Now, as TechCrunch notes, the web version is starting to catch up with the addition of an activity tab. Similar to the iOS and Android apps, this lists new followers, likes and users you might know through Facebook.
Skype for Web lets you make calls to mobile phones and landlines
Skype for Web arrived last summer, delivering voice and video calls alongside IM-style chatting in your browser. To deliver more functionality, the web-based version of the service is getting a few updates that will make it work more like the desktop and mobile apps. First, you can now call landline or mobile phones with Skype for Web. Before now, you could only dial up other Skype users, so this is certainly a welcome addition. This means you'll be able to make those international calls as needed, but you'll have to buy some credits or a subscription to employ the feature.
Facebook will soon let you turn off all Live Video notifications
Since Facebook opened up its Live Video feature to all users earlier this year, there has been a sharp uptick in the number of folks livestreaming. That's all well and good, but there's currently no way to turn off notifications when a company or friend starts to broadcast. It's particularly annoying if you follow a lot of brands or news outlets looking to take advantage of the platform. Facebook says you won't be inundated with the alerts by default for much longer, though, as the ability to turn off Live Video notifications is on the way "soon."
YouTube uses notifications to pester you with recommendations
We'll admit that push notifications are a great way to keep up with new content when it arrives. However, those messages quickly become annoying when they relate to things that you really don't give a shit about it. For example, YouTube's new Android notifications for recommended stuff based on videos that you've watched. The good news is you can turn them off. A pop-up that explains the "occasional" annoyance feature gives you the choice of disabling the alerts. You can also turn them off from the notification itself or from the settings menu. If you like the tips, you can click the notification to watch the video immediately and there's an option to save it for later, too.
