Android Police

meta

Readers like you help support Android Police. When you make a purchase using links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Read More.

latest

WhatsApp app running on an Android phone
New WhatsApp feature would let you attach a message to your notes

Helping users get a leg up on keeping important details in check

4
By 

WhatsApp is one of the best messaging apps that you can use if you're looking to message people from all around the world. While it's great for personal use, the app is also quite versatile, making it a great business tool if you're looking to connect with people that are outside your personal circle.

The WhatsApp app on a smartphone showing a list of WhatsApp Channels.
WhatsApp's upcoming status update mentions have spam and privacy in mind

The app is looking to make big changes to status updates

4
By 

WhatsApp is still one of the best encrypted messaging apps that you can use in 2024. In addition to its impressive set of features that includes end-to-end encrypted messaging, voice and video calls, you also get frequent updates that improve the overall user experience. Now these updates can be small quality of life updates like chat filters, or more major ones like adding privacy features that really allow the app to stand above others in the same category.

WhatsApp app running on an Android phone
WhatsApp's latest change could bring more thumbnail previews in chat

The change will bring better clarity for users when media is shared as a file

4
By 

WhatsApp is always evolving, making it one of the best secure messaging apps in 2024. Not only do you get encrypted chat, but you can also use the app for phone and video calls as well. Sometimes, as more features get added, there's a tendency to forget about improving features that were introduced at an earlier point. Luckily, that doesn't seem to be the case here, as WhatsApp is now making improvements to its media sharing feature, which will now show previews for media attached as files, to make things clearer for users.

An image showcasing an edited version of the WhatsApp logo. The WhatsApp icon, a green speech bubble with a white telephone handset inside, remains intact. A shadow, representing the Android Police logo, is subtly incorporated between the WhatsApp icon and the speech bubble.
WhatsApp's markup tool is in for a big upgrade on large-screen devices

Small changes that are going to make a world of difference going forward

4
By 

WhatsApp is always making changes, offering its users valuable security enhancements and useful features, which is why it's one of the best encrypted messaging apps in 2024. Over the past week, we've seen the brand introduce its new link privacy feature and, more recently, the company is looking to get new conversations going by introducing suggested contacts.

An image showcasing an edited version of the WhatsApp logo. The WhatsApp icon, a green speech bubble with a white telephone handset inside, remains intact. A shadow, representing the Android Police logo, is subtly incorporated between the WhatsApp icon and the speech bubble.
WhatsApp will soon nudge you to 'start chatting' with contacts you've never messaged

A new and seamless way to reconnect with those you lost contact with

4
By 

WhatsApp is one of the best encrypted messaging services in 2024, and for good reasons. Not only do you get great privacy with end-to-end chat encryption, but the brand is constantly pushing new updates that deliver new and useful features. Just a few days ago, we reported on the link privacy feature rolling out to some beta users, and now, with the latest version 2.24.9.5 update, it appears the app is introducing a new way for users to interact with each other.

WhatsApp app running on an Android phone
WhatsApp's new link privacy feature is rolling out for some

Disabling link previews will help protect your IP address from third-party websites

4
By 

WhatsApp is one of the best encrypted messaging services in 2024, delivering a variety of communication tools in an easy-to-use app that's available on Android and other platforms. You can expect exceptional privacy with end-to-end chat encryption, and also take and make VOIP calls as well. Now, this type of service wouldn't be the best if it wasn't constantly evolving, and while new features are always nice, finding ways to increase one's privacy is even better.

meta-rip-ap-hero
Meta services are back online following a shorter global outage than last month

WhatsApp, Instagram, and Facebook were all unavailable

4
By 

Meta is a social media giant, well known as the parent company of arguably the most popular social media platforms, such as Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp. Each of these apps alone sees millions of active users every day, if not billions. Unfortunately, though, most Meta services faced a worldwide outage.

whatsapp-beta-google-play-hero
Latest WhatsApp beta lets you use Meta AI straight from the search bar

Soon, you may not have to manually open a chat with Meta AI each time

4
By 

AI is making its mark in many positive ways across the globe. You can now discover AI tools for almost any task, with AI being integrated into practically every app and service. Meta, for its part, has been embedding AI into its platforms. If you're in the US, you can give it a whirl on WhatsApp, Messenger, and Instagram. To engage with Meta AI, simply start a new message and choose "Create an AI chat" on any of Meta's platforms. In the future, Meta might let you input your questions directly into the search bar.

meta-ap-hero-2
Meta may soon yank news content from its apps for users in Illinois

New legislation could require Meta to pay for news content displayed on its apps

4
By 

Much has been said about the role social media platforms play when it comes to news. As physical newspapers go extinct, for example, the number of people who rely on apps to get their news continues to grow. Meta, the social media giant behind platforms like Instagram and Facebook, has repeatedly addressed the impact it’s had on news consumption and perception. Now, the company is declining to work around Illinois-based legislation that could alter how it displays news within its apps.

meta-rip-ap-hero
Facebook and Instagram were down big time this morning

Many people across the world reported they can't access Meta and some Google services

4
By 

Meta experienced issues with some of its most important services this morning. People across the globe reported that they couldn't access Facebook, Instagram, and Threads. Some people were also not able to access Google services for a time, though that situation seems to have resolved itself much faster.

A smartphone showing WhatsApp stories on the screen
WhatsApp is officially rolling out new advanced text formatting options

You can now send bullets, quotes, code, and more

4
By 

Meta has faced stiff competition in the instant messaging space as of late. Despite the popularity of WhatsApp, its encrypted messenger, the company continues to face pressure to evolve. As competitors add new features to their own apps, Meta has been forced to rise to the occasion. For example, Signal — an instant messaging app that also features end-to-end encryption — rolled out standard text formatting options like bold and italics for its users in 2023, a feature WhatsApp had added back in 2016. Now, Meta is taking the next step forward by adding advanced formatting options.

The Meta logo appears on a white background
Meta AI: What is it, who can use it, and how?

Learn about Meta AI and how you can use this free, open source artificial intelligence to chat, create images, and more

4
By 

Meta is the company behind the largest social media networks in the world, including Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, and Messenger. It's also the metaverse company that makes the Quest VR headset and Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses. Given the tech giant's reach, it shouldn't be surprising that it's also a leading artificial intelligence company and the developer of Meta AI.

10 years of WhatsApp under Meta ownership: Feels like one long day

We’ve seen loads of copy-pasting over the years

4
By 

WhatsApp is one of the biggest names among the popular instant messaging apps on Android. What started out as the realization of a pipe dream for Brian Acton and Jan Koum in 2009 became a formidable and free-to-use rival for conventional SMS and email. WhatsApp began life as a standard instant messaging app, but on February 19, 2014, social media titan Meta, then known as Facebook, acquired the company outright. This month marks 10 years of the landmark acquisition, so we are looking back at how the change in ownership benefited the brand and shaped the business through tumultuous times and amid ever-growing competition.

The WhatsApp app on a smartphone showing a list of WhatsApp Channels.
WhatsApp wants to make it easier to access your favorite channels

The feature was spotted in beta, but it does not have a release timeline

4
By 

If you’re a frequent WhatsApp user, you might access several different channels throughout the day, which means that messages can easily get lost in the shuffle. For organizational purposes, some instant messaging services allow users to sort or categorize conversations. Now, it looks like Meta may be following in their footsteps by introducing a similar feature to WhatsApp.

The Facebook app displayed on a phone
How to clear your Facebook cache on your phone

Clearing your Facebook cache can make the app run smoother

4
4
By  and

There are many benefits to clearing the app cache on your phone, and Facebook isn't an exception. While you use the app to catch up with the latest trends and chat with friends and family, the app cache stores your frequently accessed information as cache data on your local storage. This speeds up the app's loading time and reduces mobile data usage, as it doesn't need to download that data again.

The Instagram logo on a red background. The logo is inside a silhouette of the Android Police logo.
How to use Meta AI's image generator for Instagram Reels

Create realistic images from just a few words

4
By 

AI art has captured the imagination of many as the public has easy access to AI-powered tech. You can choose from several AI tools, like Midjourney, DALL-E 3, Stable Diffusion, and Meta AI.

WhatsApp logo with green background
Our top 11 WhatsApp tips and tricks you need to know

Improve your WhatsApp experience with these handy tips

4
4
By  and

People who use the Meta-owned WhatsApp app can message, call, and video chat with anyone on any device for free. In many ways, it's more powerful than Google Messages, even though the Google messaging app is pre-installed on most budget Android phones.

meta logo superimposed on galleryt of blurred images
What is Imagine with Meta AI?

Generate images with Meta's standalone AI tool

4
By 

Imagine with Meta AI is an AI-powered image generation tool trained on public images uploaded to Facebook and Instagram. It's free to use and leverages the Emu AI tool previously exclusive to Instagram, Whatsapp, and Messenger. The images it creates can be indistinguishable from those taken with the best camera phones, but you must understand its limitations to create realistic-looking results.

A pastel illustration of circular shapes of different sizes
How to use Audiobox, Meta AI's new sound and voice cloning tool

Meta's generative AI marks a significant step forward in creating custom audio content

4
By 

Meta introduced its generative AI model for speech, Voicebox, in mid-2023. Meta aims to take AI sound generation to the next level with Audiobox, Voicebox's successor. The innovative tool generates sound effects from text prompts, eliminates noise from speech recordings, creates a restyled voice, generates speech in the style of an audio clip, and more. Before we take it for a spin, let's learn more about Meta's Audiobox.

meta-ai
Meta lets loose AI chatbots on WhatsApp, Messenger, and Instagram

Generative AI will help you with image creation, message replies, and more

4
By 

Even if you don’t use AI on a daily basis, it’s indisputably becoming more prevalent. All the big companies, from Google to Microsoft and Samsung, are working to integrate AI into their products and services. Now, social media businesses are beginning to dabble with the technology as well, and Meta is one of them. Soon, you might start interacting with AI more frequently than you previously thought.

See more articles +