Just like every other popular social networking, instant messaging, or news aggregation platform under the sun, WhatsApp has been having trouble keeping the spread of misinformation in check. To that end, the Facebook-owned IM service recently launched a feature clearly separating forwarded messages from those specially addressed to you.
Read More[Update: Changes are live] WhatsApp takes more action against misinformation by testing forwarding restrictions
Messaging app imo passes 500 million downloads
The instant messaging app imo has crossed the threshold of a half-billion Play Store installs, and there's a pretty good chance you've never heard of it.
imo was launched by former Googlers way back in 2010, and its claim to fame was offering an instant messaging platform that gathered all of your other messaging accounts in one place. That included AIM (RIP), Skype, Facebook, Google Talk, and yes, even MySpace.
Read MoreSynology Chat is an instant messaging application that runs off your private server
When I say "Synology," the first thing that comes to mind is personal servers, NAS, and lots of cool things you can keep stored on your own "cloud" to access anywhere and without trusting any company with your data. Now Synology is using its expertise in building personal servers and apps to introduce an instant messaging application.
In a world where privacy is a big concern and end-to-end encryption is more and more important, having your chat app run off your own server saves you the trouble of researching whom you can and can't trust with your data. It may not be ideal for communicating with everyone you know, but it's an interesting solution for the friends and family you trust, especially if you already have a Synology server.
Read MoreLatest Pushbullet Update Lets You Send Picture Messages (MMS) From Your Computer
Pushbullet began as a quick way to send files, links, and other data from one device to another. Along the way, the team took the infrastructure it had in place and introduced instant messaging (through a phone using SMS). Last month the feature grew to include group conversations. Today, the service has evolved to support sending picture messages.
Read MoreWhatsApp 2.12.367 Goes Live In The Play Store With Starred Messages, Rich Link Previews, And Direct Share On Marshmallow
WhatsApp has been getting frequent beta updates that brought a lot of goodies to the app, and it's finally time for the Play Store version of the app to receive these. Version 2.12.367 has just gone live on the official Play Store channel and it brings with it the different new features that we've recently discussed: rich link previews, starred messages, and direct share on Marshmallow.
When you try to share any URL to WhatsApp, like YouTube links, tweets, webpages, and more, WhatsApp will parse the address quickly and give you a nice thumbnail image and title to send along with your link. That way, you can easily skim through the links that have been shared and the recipient gets to know what that page you just sent them is all about before opening it.
Read MoreSend, Microsoft's Email Client That Is Shaped Like An Instant Messenger, Comes To Android
Cut the crap, and give it to me straight. No subject lines, no signatures―just send me what matters.
"We got you," says a fictional Microsoft employee.
And then Microsoft Send appears in the Play Store.
Read MoreGoogle Launches A Dedicated Hangouts Website, Another Way To Access Hangouts From A Browser
Between the Chrome extension, the Chrome app, Gmail, Inbox, and Google+, there are plenty of ways you can sign in to Hangouts while you're at a computer. But maybe you need one more. Today Google has launched hangouts.google.com. You're welcome.
Hangouts' dedicated website provides a single obvious way to access your contacts list and start chatting, as the URL is one you could probably guess. The site lets you open up multiple conversations at once just as you've been doing in Gmail since the dawn of time. You can also start group conversations, place a voice call, or fire up the webcam.
Read MoreYahoo Releases Livetext Video Texting App In The US, Canada, France, Germany, And UK
Here's an idea. Let's take that video chatting thing that people do all the time using Skype, Hangouts, or FaceTime, and remove the sound. Huh, Yahoo is already doing that?
Yup, and the service is called Livetext. Yahoo has been testing it in Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Ireland. Now the tech company is bringing its intriguing communications platform to five additional countries. There's Canada and the US in North America. France, Germany, and the rest of the UK have joined Ireland in Europe.
In Yahoo's video of Livetext in action, you can see how each sentence you type appears at the bottom of a video feed of whomever you're chatting with.
Read MoreThe Best Of AP
Microsoft Garage Introduces Send, An Email Client That Thinks It's An Instant Messenger—Coming Soon To Android
Email is the digital version of sending out letters, but given that the metaphorical postal worker delivers these messages instantly, it's not uncommon for correspondence to grow increasingly brief. This email I'm about to send you doesn't contain four paragraphs. It's a single sentence, and I only want a one-word reply. Stat.
Under such circumstances, loading up webmail or firing up a bulky client can feel unnecessary. Why aren't we using an instant messenger? Couldn't you have fit that into a text? (I don't have your number, silly).
To address this particular dynamic, Microsoft Garage has developed Send. This experimental little app treats email like instant messaging.
Read More
Disa, A Messaging Client That Can Merge Conversations Across Services, Is Now Available As A Public Beta
One of the problems with instant messaging since time immemorial has been juggling contacts and conversations across multiple services. It's bothersome on desktops, and it's especially unwieldy on mobile devices, where multitasking isn't as easy and similar sounding chimes can send you searching through the wrong app for the latest reply.
Disa is a new Android messaging client that attempts to tackle this problem. It has been in development for a long time, spending a healthy period in private alpha being tested by over 33,000 people before making its way to the Play Store in the form of a private beta.
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