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Although dark mode and light mode are simply aesthetic changes, the difference is quite stark. One of the best Android messaging apps, WhatsApp, received significant improvements in December. Among recent changes was a redesigned dark mode color scheme for its Android app. Unfortunately, WhatsApp Web did not get a makeover at that time, but that might be changing soon.
Google promises a brand-new web client for its latest Nest Cams
Please don't pull another transition à la Google Pay/YouTube Music/Google Meet
Google released a whole slew of Nest products in August, including brand-new Nest Cams. They're the first to finally leave the awkward dichotomy of the Nest and Google Home app, which is one factor (of many) we like about them. However, this decision also leaves quite a few people stranded who prefer to view camera footage on the Nest website. Thankfully, Google has promised that a brand-new web interface is in the making for its latest products, but details are still sparse.
Pushbullet is a necessary app for millions of users, but it's not the only service of its kind. Join launched back in 2015 as an alternative from prolific Android developer João Dias, best known for his work on Tasker, designed to control your phone remotely from your computer. It's been a while since the app received a significant new update, but that ends today. Join 3.0 is available now, and it comes with a ton of adjustments for how the service works on all of your devices.
Voice and video calls are coming to the WhatsApp web client
Every other call you make is on your laptop anyways
We're all on our desktops for video conferences hours on end, but when it comes to hitting up all the people you need to without having to grab the phone you threw into a corner to avoid distraction, well, it's still a dilemma — especially if you use WhatsApp, where voice and video calls are still mobile-only features. But there are signs of a remedy for that need coming soon.
According to a report today from 9to5Google, a web client for Duo will be launched "in the coming weeks." When it happens, Duo will join desktop-compatible ranks of Android Messages and dearly departed Allo, expanding the reach of the service away from phones and Smart Displays.
Yesterday's update to Allo came with announcements that it now supports reactions (basically "likes") and that the doomed blobmoji are to be kept on life support in the form of a sticker pack. As meager an update as it might seem at first glance, it turns out that there are several other new features in this release. On top of that, a teardown shows quite a bit is in the works.
Tango, beside being a cool dance, is also a chatting application similar to WhatsApp, Telegram, Allo, and countless others. It may not be as well recognized as some of these brands, but it is popular in some countries around the world. And just like many of its competitors, Tango is now spreading from mobile to the desktop.
WhatsApp is doing something not so cool, but maybe a bit understandable in its latest beta version 2.16.86. When you start WhatsApp Web, you'll get a new notification telling you that the web client is currently active.
One of the hindrances of using WhatsApp as your main messaging platform, like most of us do in my part of the world, is that you're tied to your phone (or connected tablet). WhatsApp doesn't authenticate you with usernames or passwords, instead requiring a SIM card to work on any device. It had thus far been completely alien (aside from "hacked" solutions like WhatsRemote) to our desktops and full, comfortable, typing-friendly keyboards. That is in contrast to its competitors, Line, Viber, Telegram, and WeChat, which have all developed a desktop counterpart to their mobile solutions. But WhatsApp's lag might be changing, well, sometime down the line.