The Plan to Give Android Users Their Own Version of iMessage Is Officially Dead

RCS, or Rich Communication Services, was supposed to unite the Androids. But with the news that Verizon, AT&T, and T-Mobile have all abandoned the effort toward a unified messaging platform, it looks like more turbulent times for the green bubbles.Read more...
Tags: Imessage, Verizon, Instant Messaging Clients, Google, Rich Communication Services, Messages, Messaging Apps, Att, Technology Internet, Software, Online Chat, Operating Systems, Sprint, Text Messaging, Technology, T Mobile

How to Keep Attackers From Locking You Out of WhatsApp

Though the result is more annoying than dangerous, a newly exploited quirk of WhatsApp’s two-factor authentication system does appear to make it relatively easy for an attacker to lock you out of your account for varying amounts of time. And all a bad actor needs to pull it off, as of this writing, is to know the…Read more...
Tags: Authentication, Whatsapp, Software, Lifehacks, Operating Systems, Communication Software, Instant Messaging Clients, Multi Factor Authentication, Zak Doffman, Cross Platform Software, Computer Access Control

Uninstall This Android App, Which Gave You Malware Instead of Netflix

In what is becoming a recurring ritual, Google has removed a scammy Android malware app from the Google Play Store. This time, the offending culprit is FlixOnline, a malware app that roped people in by pretending to offer them free Netflix access. Its banishment from the Play Store is great, but the onus is on you to…Read more...
Tags: Google, Android, Google Play, Social Media, Malware, Whatsapp, Software, Netflix, Computing, Lifehacks, Operating Systems, Mobile Applications, Communication Software, Instant Messaging Clients, Cross Platform Software, Technology Internet

An Android App That Promised Free Netflix Shockingly Just Highly Annoying Malware

So-called pirating apps have been around for years—and they have likely gained popularity since covid-19 put us all indefinitely on the couch, phone in hand, awaiting a reason (that never comes) to stop streaming. Read more...
Tags: Google, Science, Malware, Whatsapp, Software, Security Breaches, Computing, Computer Virus, Operating Systems, Mobile Applications, Communication Software, Instant Messaging Clients, Aviran Hazum, Cross Platform Software, Technology Internet

Is Yahoo Answers Dying? Yes, Son, Yes It Is

Yahoo announced on Monday that it will soon send its Answers service to that great trash bin in the sky, bringing about 15 years’ worth of absurd, typo-ridden questioning and equally irreverent answering to an end. Read more...
Tags: Science, Yahoo, Software, Silver, Long John Silver, Instant Messaging Clients, Verizon Media, Entertainment Culture, Yahoo Covid

LinkedIn Also Has a Clubhouse Rival in the Works Now

The latest platform dipping its toes into the tepid waters of the “social audio experience” is LinkedIn, which confirmed on Tuesday that it’s developing an audio networking integration for its app that will rival the existing voice-only chat app Clubhouse.Read more...
Tags: Twitter, Science, Microsoft, Social Media, Linkedin, Software, Recruitment, Telegram, Operating Systems, Clubhouse, Mobile Applications, Instant Messaging Clients, Alessandro Paluzzi, Social Networking Services

Dangerous Android App Pretends to Be a System Update to Steal Your Data

Beware a newly discovered malicious app that pretends to update your phone but, in reality, is just a giant spyware application that can steal pretty much all your data while also monitoring your movements and online search history. Read more...
Tags: Android, Google Play, Science, Social Media, Software, Computing, Operating Systems, Mobile App, Zimperium, Communication Software, Instant Messaging Clients, Your Phone, Cross Platform Software, Technology Internet, Shridhar Mittal

WhatsApp Is Reportedly Testing Out Different Playback Speeds, But I Get Lost Listening to Voice Messages Now

If you’ve ever gotten a really long voice message on WhatsApp that you wish could go a little faster, WhatsApp apparently listened to you.Read more...
Tags: Science, Social Media, Whatsapp, Software, Messages, Operating Systems, Human Interest, Mobile Applications, Communication Software, Instant Messaging Clients, TestFlight, Cross Platform Software, Entertainment Culture, Technology Internet, Private Message, Android Version History

How to Set Up Skype's Active Noise Cancellation on Your Desktop

“Zoom” may have overtaken “Skype” as the preferred shorthand for making video calls, but Microsoft’s chat service hasn’t gone anywhere. The newest Skype upgrade brings an active noise cancellation setting (ANC) to desktops and laptops, which filters out background sounds while keeping your voice audible.Read more...
Tags: Microsoft, Software, Noise, Lifehacks, Skype, Operating Systems, Noise Cancelling, ANC, Audio Engineering, Noise Reduction, Instant Messaging Clients, Cross Platform Software, Videotelephony, Active Noise Control, Technology Internet, Image Noise

Encrypted Messaging App Signal Goes Down in China

Signal, the popular encrypted messaging app, stopped working in China on Tuesday, according to multiple reports. The app is still available in the Apple App Store in China, according to Reuters, but it’s not clear how much longer that might last.Read more...
Tags: Science, Technology, China, Software, WeChat, App Store, Open Whisper Systems, Signal, Operating Systems, Secure Communication, Reuters, Mobile Applications, Instant Messaging Clients, Online Chat, Cryptographic Software, Technology Internet

How to Make WhatsApp Voice and Video Calls on Desktop

WhatsApp is finally letting you make voice and video calls to and from the desktop app. The feature works on Windows 10 version 1903 and newer and macOS 10.13 and newer, and lets you call any of your contacts as long as they’re online and using a compatible smartphone, tablet, or computer.Read more...
Tags: Social Media, Smartphone, Whatsapp, Software, Windows 10, Lifehacks, Operating Systems, Mobile Applications, Communication Software, Computer Architecture, Instant Messaging Clients, macOS, Cross Platform Software, Technology Internet

WhatsApp Can Now Do the Same Thing as Google Meet and Zoom and FaceTime

WhatsApp on Thursday announced the introduction of voice and video calls on its desktop apps for Mac and PC, expanding the ways in which you can create the illusion of meaningful human interaction in this moment of crushing isolation. Read more...
Tags: Google, Facebook, Science, Social Media, Whatsapp, Walgreens, Software, Facetime, Operating Systems, Zoom, Communication Software, Instant Messaging Clients, Cross Platform Software, Videotelephony

How to Automatically Delete All Telegram Messages

ASetting your messages to “auto-delete” is great, because it kills two birds with one stone: your various apps and social networks won’t get clogged up with conversations that no longer matter, and you won’t have to worry about the privacy concerns that come with leaving your messages sitting around forever. I …Read more...
Tags: Social Media, Software, Messages, Lifehacks, Telegram, Operating Systems, Mobile Applications, Communication Software, Instant Messaging Clients, Cross Platform Software, Technology Internet, Ios Version History, Comparison Of User Features Of Messaging Platforms

What Parents Need to Know About Discord

If you—or your teenager—are into gaming, you’ve likely at least heard of Discord, even if you haven’t used it yourself. It’s one more way for teenagers to connect with their friends and chat about gaming or other topics via private or public servers, individual messages, or group chats. But, as with any social network…Read more...
Tags: Instant Messaging, Software, Computing, Lifehacks, Freeware, Internet Privacy, Internet Relay Chat, Instant Messaging Clients, Discord, Alt Tech, Proprietary Software, Social Networking Services, Technology Internet, Draftshiey Discord

How to Set Your Telegram Account to Self-Destruct

Kerboom. That’s the sound of your Telegram account automatically deleting itself. Honestly, I wish this feature was baked into more services. Wouldn’t it be great to have an old email account you never used disappear once you haven’t logged in for two years’ straight?Read more...
Tags: Software, Lifehacks, Telegram, Operating Systems, Communication Software, Instant Messaging Clients, Cross Platform Software, Alt Tech

How to Ditch WhatsApp for Good

If you use WhatsApp, the incredibly popular messaging app owned by Facebook, chances are you’ve encountered the news surrounding their ever-changing privacy policy. While the service seems to continually shift from more to secure to less secure and back again, you may feel like it’s time to pack up your data and find…Read more...
Tags: Facebook, Social Media, Whatsapp, Software, Computing, Lifehacks, Operating Systems, Messaging Apps, Internet Privacy, Mobile Applications, Communication Software, Instant Messaging Clients, Cross Platform Software, Technology Internet

WhatsApp Is Now Using Its Version of Stories to Convince Users It’s Committed to Their Privacy

As many of you probably already know, WhatsApp’s announcement on the changes to its privacy policy confused and angered a lot of people, who were given the impression that the messaging app would begin sharing their personal data with its parent company, Facebook. Since then, WhatsApp has been running up and down…Read more...
Tags: Facebook, Science, Labor, Social Media, Whatsapp, Software, Computing, Signal, Operating Systems, Messaging Apps, Human Interest, Facebook Since, Communication Software, Instant Messaging Clients, Cross Platform Software, Technology_internet

Telegram Adds Simple Tool to Bring In Your WhatsApp Data

Following the disastrous announcement of changes to its privacy policy, WhatsApp is losing the trust of millions of users who are now looking for a new encrypted messaging platform. Telegram claims it’s added 100 million new users this month alone, and it hopes its new ability to transfer WhatsApp chat histories will…Read more...
Tags: Science, Social Media, Whatsapp, Software, Telegram, Signal, Operating Systems, Messaging Apps, Mobile Applications, Communication Software, Instant Messaging Clients, Google Allo, Cross Platform Software, Technology_internet

Move Your Chats From WhatsApp to Telegram the Easy Way

If you’re thinking of ditching WhatsApp—for any reason—one of the sticking points might be the difficulty of moving your conversations from WhatsApp to another service. People have built some clever tools to help you accomplish this, but Telegram is now launching an official import tool to make the transition…Read more...
Tags: Social Media, Whatsapp, Software, Lifehacks, Telegram, Operating Systems, Easy Way, Mobile Applications, Communication Software, Instant Messaging Clients, Google Allo, Cross Platform Software

Signal Blocked by Iran as Encrypted Messaging App's Popularity Explodes

With great popularity comes great scrutiny. Following WhatsApp’s controversial announcement of changes to its privacy policy, users have flocked to the encrypted messaging app Signal. The app has maintained a relatively small userbase for years, but in the last month, it has reportedly doubled in size. And now it’s…Read more...
Tags: Politics, Science, Technology, Labor, Imessage, Iran, Whatsapp, Software, Social Issues, Signal, Operating Systems, Messaging Apps, Secure Communication, Communication Software, Instant Messaging Clients, Cross Platform Software

Telegram Says It Shut Down "Hundreds Of Public Calls To Violence" From US Channels Last Week

In the weeks since Trump-sympathizing rioters laid siege to the U.S. Capitol, platforms have scrambled to account for the ways right-wing zealots used their communication networks to strategize, coordinate or otherwise inflame tensions related to the deadly insurrection. Apparently, Telegram has been no exception: On…Read more...
Tags: Science, Technology, US, Software, Telegram, Operating Systems, Pavel Durov, Trump, Communication Software, Instant Messaging Clients, Zello, Cross Platform Software, Alt Tech, Telegram In Iran

Why WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger are the future of customer communication

This is a guest post from Pascal van Opzeeland from Userlike You’re likely spending large chunks of your day on messaging apps like WhatsApp or Facebook Messenger. BusinessInsider reported that messaging apps have overtaken social media platforms in usage hours. And according to a report by Comscore, 91% of our online time on desktops and […]
Tags: Customer Experience, Customer Service, Whatsapp, Facebook Messenger, WeChat, Comscore, Social Service, Live Chat, Customer Communication, Instant Messaging Clients, Online Chat, Pascal Van Opzeeland, Website Live Chat, Facebook Messenger BusinessInsider