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Beeper Mini has returned iMessage to Android, but it comes with one big catch
Phone number registration remains unavailable for the foreseeable future
What a difference a week makes. Last Tuesday, the future of messaging interoperability between iOS and Android seemed brighter than ever. Not only is Apple's adoption of RCS coming sometime in 2024, but Beeper Mini — a new app from the minds behind Beeper — reverse-engineered iMessage to bring blue bubbles to Android. It took about 72 hours for much of that progress to fall apart, though, with Apple admitting it had made changes to iMessage to prevent Android users from signing up. Now, Beeper Mini is back, though with a massive downgrade in functionality.
Another major carrier is moving its RCS services to Google Jibe
The UK's O2 network will start the migration next week
Communication has become so much easier since the first text message was sent three decades ago. Text messaging began as a short, precise, text-only, and straightforward way of communication. However, technology happened, and major companies like Google employed Rich Communication Services to move users from conventional SMS and MMS texting. While the technology is still on its way up, users can get the most out of Google Messages when it's using the Jibe service as its backend.
Google throws its weight behind yet another messaging standard
'E2EE everywhere' could be another RCS-like pie in the sky
Security is critical wherever sensitive data is involved, like cloud storage, password management, and communication. The best encrypted messaging apps today don’t shy away from their responsibility towards the consumer’s privacy, but breaches and loopholes like WhatsApp’s flawed account deactivation system serve as constant reminders we can make more headway. Google believes the answer lies in an industry-wide interoperable standard for messaging that’s platform and app-agnostic. However, recent examples suggest this is but another pipe dream.
In today's digital world, communication privacy is increasingly at risk. Unfortunately, messaging apps that use unencrypted data and cloud-based storage can expose your messages to hacking, surveillance, and other malicious activities. Using an app that encrypts your messages is one of the best ways to keep your conversations private and safe.
How to delete unnecessary and hidden WhatsApp media on your phone
Get rid of useless pictures taking up space on your phone
WhatsApp is a convenient way to interact with friends and family, thanks to built-in calling and texting features, as well as the ability to send voice messages, videos, and photos across devices. The app works on the best Android devices and iPhones and can be installed on a desktop or laptop. With added simplicity, it's tempting to send and receive countless images and videos, which take up space on your phone. While you can delete media conversation by conversation, this isn't straightforward, as you need to go through every discussion on your phone.
WhatsApp beta brings back new voice message recording tools
Recording when you're in the middle of something gets a hell lot easier with pause and resume
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Although millennials and zoomers just love chat, the mode of communication was never intended to be a replacement for good, old voice conversation. There are times when typing simply doesn’t feel fast enough and blurting it out feels like a better way to get something off your chest. And that’s where voice messaging comes in on apps like WhatsApp, allowing you to exercise your voice box without bothering the other party with a call. This handy little feature is now gaining an improvement on WhatsApp in the form of the ability to pause voice messages while recording.
Google is all-in with RCS Chat these days, for better or worse, but there's always another Google chat platform. In fact, there's another one called Chat. The teams-oriented Google Chat is more widely available these days, and it's getting a new feature. In the coming days, you'll see rich text formatting in Chats.
Weekend poll: Do you regularly use RCS for messaging?
Is Google's latest attempt good enough for you?
The struggle between blue and green bubbles continues to wage in the world of smartphones, with Google dealing a fresh blow late last week. With RCS live and ready on any Android device — as long as you download a specific app from the Play Store — the company wants its biggest rival to bring compatibility to iPhone users everywhere. It would certainly expand the reach and scope of RCS, especially in North America, but it begs the question: how many people are already using it?
WhatsApp will soon let you hide your 'Last seen' status from specific contacts
An even better way to hide from your boss or ex
WhatsApp may have a controversial privacy policy change behind it, but despite users threatening to leave the service, it seems like it's too big to fail. While the latest beta update doesn't do much to fix the privacy concerns surrounding the messenger's parent company Facebook (errr, Meta), it will at least help you stay more private when it comes to other individuals using the app. As per WABetaInfo, WhatsApp beta version 2.21.33.14 is rolling out an option that lets you to hide your Last seen status from specific contacts.
WhatsApp may increase the time limit for deleting regrettable messages
Delete that months-old embarrassing message you've sent
WhatsApp may be the most ubiquitous messaging platform in the world, but it's usually not the app to be the first in line when it comes to getting new features. After the messaging platform took ages (compared to the competition) to introduce an option that allows you to delete messages for yourself and your receiver after you've sent them, the company is now further building out that feature. According to WABetaInfo, you might soon be able to delete any old message you want to, not just those you've sent recently.
Discord is getting a replacement for those music bots YouTube killed
Watch Together is a poor substitution for Groovy and Rythm
Discord was undoubtedly popular pre-pandemic, but in the time since, it's become a go-to application for virtual hangout sessions among friends who can't get together in person. One of the things that makes the app stand above similar services is third-party bots, which add new features to your servers to enhance your time in the app. Groovy and Rythm were two of the most popular bots online until they were killed by YouTube a few weeks ago, and now the video giant has returned with a "replacement" of its own.
Google boldly decides not to introduce all-new messaging solution, brings Chat to Calendar instead
A truly revolutionary move
We're sure we don't need to tell you why seeing "Google" and "messaging" in a single sentence will make some people cringe a bit. Google has always had problems when it comes to streamlining its messaging solutions — big problems, to be fair. And ever since it started trying to get rid of Google Hangouts, those problems have only gotten worse — Google hasn't even managed to stick to a unified messaging solution, with services like Google Photos and Google Docs all having their own internal ones. Now in the latest twist of events, Google Calendar is actually adding integration for an existing messaging service: Google Chat.
WhatsApp is working on 90-day disappearing messages
For when you want to cover your tracks, but not right away
WhatsApp might not be the most feature-rich messaging app on the block, but it's by far one of the most popular, with an install base in the billions. Recently, a disappearing messages feature was introduced, where you could set a specific chat to self-destruct every so often. Right now, if enabled, the app will delete messages after 7 days, and more recently, WhatsApp started working on an option for doing so every 24 hours. But if you think even 7 days is too little time, no problem: WhatsApp is now also working on adding a 90-day option.
Discord rolls out threaded conversations, which might make you hate it less
Feature launch comes after a month of testing
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Messaging client Discord is about to give its users a ball of yarn, teasing a threading feature that will officially debut tomorrow.
Google Phone knows you prefer messaging businesses over calling them (APK Download)
Start chatting right away from within the app
I don't know about you, but I prefer texting over calling businesses — who likes listening to some crappy hold music for minutes on end?! Google probably knows this and is happy to bundle a messaging feature into yet another one of its apps. The Google Phone app now lets you text businesses.
Hangouts has been on the way out for four (!) years by now, but the service is still kicking. And in that process, Hangouts managed to reach an impressive milestone: It has been installed five billion times on the Play Store. That brings it right on par with a few pre-installed Google apps, but also with the two competing messaging products from Facebook.
WhatsApp may add a new option for disappearing messages soon
A new 24-hour time limit has been spotted in a test build
Late last year WhatsApp added the option to force your messages to disappear, a la Telegram. At the time the only setting was for the messages to vanish after 7 days, but according to a leak uncovered by some fanatical fans of the platform, that choice will soon be expanding. An upcoming version of the feature with an additional 24-hour option was spotted in development.
Your WhatsApp account can be suspended by anyone who has your phone number
Researchers reveal gaping hole in the popular chat app's security
If you're a frequent user of WhatsApp, you may want to keep an eye on a disturbing hole discovered in its security this weekend. It's possible for an attacker to completely suspend your WhatsApp account, without any recourse for the individual user, and all they need is your phone number. At the time of writing there's no solution for this issue.
Google updates Chat UI for Workspace users to match personal accounts
Improved notification controls are on the way too
Workspace customers have had access to Google Chat since last year, and it finally became available for personal users earlier this month. There were some noticeable UI differences between personal and business accounts using Chat, but that won't be the case for much longer. Starting Wednesday, an updated version of Chat is available to Workspace users that looks and acts a lot more like what personal accounts are currently using.
Stadia's new messaging capabilities are rolling out widely now
Google's newest messaging platform that people actually want
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Stadia has been in the news lately for generously giving out Stadia Premiere bundles to YouTube Premium subscribers, but that's not the only thing Google's cloud gaming service is giving away. It has now implemented a new messaging system, allowing users to send written messages back and forth between friends who are also on Stadia.