Category: apps

WhatsApp
has
announced
that
it
will
soon
roll
out
a
big
change
that
will
make
managing
contacts
on
linked
devices
an
easier
process.
At
present,
users
need
to
save
a
contact
on
their
primary
device
for
it
to
show
up
on
WhatsApp
with
the
saved
name.
However,
this
is
now
expected
to
change
soon,
as
announced
by
WhatsApp.
Users
will
be
able
to
add
or
manage
contacts
on
WhatsApp
for
Web,

Windows
and
other
linked
devices.

In
a
blog

post,
WhatsApp
highlighted
that
the
only
way
to
add
contacts
was
by
saving
it
on
the
primary
device
or
by
scanning
a
QR
code.
With
its
upcoming
functionality,
users
will
be
able
to
do
the
same
from
any
device.
The
change
will
initially
be
introduced
on
WhatsApp
Web
and
Windows
and
eventually
on
other
linked
devices.

The
instant
messaging
platform
is
introducing
another
key
feature
—
the
ability
to
save
contacts
exclusively
on
WhatsApp.
This
feature
is
said
to
come
in
handy
when
separating
personal
and
professional
contacts
or
sharing
the
phone
with
others.
Users
will
be
presented
with
a
choice
of
whether
to
save
a
particular
contact
only
on
WhatsApp
or
sync
it
to
the
smartphone
as
well.

The
aforementioned
feature
uses
a
novel
encrypted
storage
system
called
Identity
Proof
Linked
Storage
(IPLS),
leveraging
key
transparency
and
WhatsApp’s
hardware
security
module
(HSM)
technologies. As
per
WhatsApp,
the
contact
information
is
stored
using
a
strong
encryption
key
generated
on
the
client’s
device.
It
is
retrieved
only
when
the
client
authenticates
the
primary
device
identity.
Contacts
saved
on
WhatsApp
will
be
restored
in
case
the
user
ever
loses
their
phone
or
changes
devices.
Additionally,
they
can
also
create
or
customise
contact
lists
if
they
have
separate
personal
and
work
WhatsApp
accounts
on
the
same
device.

Courtesy
of
these
features,
WhatsApp
says
it
is
heading
in
the
direction
where
it
might
eventually
let
users
manage
and
save
contacts
by
usernames.
The
company
claims
this
will
bolster
privacy
by
negating
the
need
of
sharing
phone
numbers
to
have
conversations
on
WhatsApp.

Apple
Business
Connect
—
the
company’s
service
that
allows
individuals
and
companies
to
add
or
update
their
information
across
the
company’s
apps
—
has
been
updated
with
new
features
that
allow
these
businesses
to
connect
with
customers,
even
if
they
do
not
have
a
physical
presence.
The
latest
features
introduced
by
Apple
will
allow
a
business
to
show
their
information
across
the
iPhone
maker’s
Apple
Wallet,
Mail,
and
Maps
apps.
Apple
will
also
show
details
of
verified
businesses
when
they
call
customers,
in
an
attempt
to
curb
spam
calls.

Apple
Business
Connect
Updates
Add
new
Apple
Wallet,
Mail
and
Caller
ID
Features

According
to
details
shared
by
the
company,
Apple
Business
Connect
has
been
updated
with
the
ability
to
show
information
about
a
business
on
the
Mail
and
Phone
apps.
When
a
customer
receives
a
call
or
an
email
from
a
verified
business,
they
will
see
the
brand
name
and
logo
appear
in
those
apps.

Apple
says
that
businesses
will
need
to
register
for
the
Branded
Mail
feature,
and
it
has
already
begun
accepting
applications
via
the
Business
Connect
platform.
Once
the
business
is
verified,
Apple
will
begin
to
show
customers
its
logo
—
this
is
expected
to
take
place
in
the
coming
months.

The
company
has
also
revealed
that
it
is
bringing
a
new
feature
called
Business
Caller
ID
that
will
allow
business
to
display
details
of
an
employee
calling
a
customer.
including
their
name
and
department,
along
with
the
company’s
logo.

Business
Caller
ID
will
only
arrive
next
year,
according
to
the
iPhone
maker.
Third-party
apps
like
Truecaller
also
allow
businesses
to
display
information
about
verified
companies,
allowing
customers
to
identify
legitimate
businesses.

Businesses
in
Australia,
Brazil,
Canada,
France,
Germany,
Italy,
Japan,
Netherlands,
Taiwan,
Ukraine,
the
UK,
and
the
US
will
also
be
able
to
show
their
company
logo
when
using
the
Tap
to
Pay
on
iPhone.
Apple
says
that
the
logo
will
replace
the
generic
category
icon
on
the
payment
screen,
giving
customers
for
information
when
making
a
purchase.

Businesses
who
want
to
take
advantage
of
these
new
features
on
the
Business
Connect
platform
will
need
to
log
in
with
their
Apple
ID.
The
Cupertino
company
will
not
charge
a
fee
to
customise
brand
information,
and
the
features
will
be
available
for businesses
with
or
without
a
physical
presence,
according
to
Apple.

Instagram
has
announced
a
new
feature
for
creators
that
makes
it
easier
and
more
fun
for
them
to
share
their
profiles
with
others.
They
can
now
create
a
two-sided
digital
card
on
the
Meta-owned
social
media
platform
which
matches
their
style
courtesy
of
multiple
customisable
options,
depending
on
their
preference.
Notably,
this
development
comes
after
Meta

introduced
a
song
on
profile
feature
that
lets
users
further
customise
their
profile
by
allowing
them
to
add
a
song
that
matches
their
current
mood
or
personality
on
their
profile.

Profile
Cards
on
Instagram

As
per

Instagram,
the
new
Profile
Card
gives
users
an
option
to
create
a
more
personalised
and
animated
digital
card
which
can
be
shared
with
others.
In
addition
to
the
QR
code
linking
the
profile,
it
also
includes
options
to
add
bio
information,
links
to
pages,
music
that
describes
the
personality
and
other
elements.
They
can
also
change
the
background
colour,
add
a
selfie
or
add
a
custom
emoji
as
the
page
background.

While
one
side
of
the
card
is
shareable,
the
other
side
has
a
QR
code,
which
can
be
scanned
by
others
to
visit
the
profile.
The
company
says
it
can
be
a
quick
way
for
creators
to
share
their
profiles
with
brands
for
easy
collaboration.
Although
the
ability
to
share
profile
cards
has
been
available
on
Instagram
for
a
few
years
now,
it
was
only
limited
to
just
QR
codes.
However,
users
can
now
share
their
interests
or
favourite
music.

To
share
the
profile
cards,
users
need
to
navigate
to
the
profile
section
of
Instagram
and
tap
on
the


Share
Profile
option.
They
can
further
tweak
the
profile
card
by
selecting
the
edit
icon
and
adding
the
desired
information.
In
addition
to
sharing
on
stories,
Instagram’s
profile
cards
can
also
be
shared
on
other
platforms.

Google
Meet
is
reportedly
rolling
out
a
new
call-screen
interface
to
all
users.
This
change
was
first
introduced
last
year
but
was
only
available
to
those
with
an
enterprise
account.
The
new
call
screen
introduces
a
new
pill-shaped
search
bar
at
the
top,
while
also
providing
contact
suggestions.
Notably,
this
development
comes
after
Google
introduced
a
new
artificial
intelligence
(AI)
feature
for
Meet
that
will
enable
AI-generated
notes
once
the
meeting
has
concluded.

Google
Meet
Update
Brings
New
Call
Interface
to
All
Users

The
new
interface
for
calls
on
Google
Meet
has
started
to
roll
out
to
users
on
Android
(via 9to5Google).
Alongside
the
new
pill-shaped
search
bar,
there
are
redesigned
larger
buttons
for
creating
and
scheduling
meetings
and
making
a
group.
Additionally,
Google
Meet
now
also
provides
users
with
suggestions
for
calls
in
a
grid.

These
suggestions
are
based
on
their
interactions,
such
as
starred
contacts
or
recently
sent
emails.,
according
to Google.
Alongside
the
new
UI,
Google
has
also
introduced
a
new
home
screen
shortcut
which
can
be
used
to
start
meetings
by
entering
a
code.
It
appears
as
a


Code
option,
tapping
which
users
can
enter
the
meeting’s
code
to
start
it.

These
changes
are
part
of
the
Google
Meet
266
update
which
is
available
for
download.
Gadgets
360
staff
members
were
able
to
verify
the
new
interface
on
Google
Meet
for
Android
but
could
not
spot
it
on
Google
Meet
for
iOS.

Google
has
rolled
out
several
new
features
for
its
virtual
meeting
platform
in
recent
months.
This

includes
an
exclusive
functionality
for
the
Pixel
9
Pro
Fold
which
enables
users
to
use
the
inner
and
outer
cameras
of
the
foldable
smartphone
simultaneously
during
video
conferencing.

Another
recent

addition
is
the
‘Take
notes
for
me’
feature
which
is
available
for
Google
Workspace
users
who
have
either
Gemini
Enterprise,
Gemini
Education
Premium,
or
the
AI
Meetings
&
Messaging
add-ons.
It
provides
AI-generated
meeting
notes
and
can
also
generate
entire
transcriptions,
but
the
latter
has
to
be
manually
enabled.

YouTube
Premium
—
the
ad-free
subscription
plan
offered
by
the
video-streaming
platform
—
has
received
a
price
hike
in
Italy,
Netherlands,
Saudi
Arabia
and
several
other
countries,
according
to
claims
on
social
media.
In
certain
European
countries,
it
has
become
more
expensive
by
approximately
EUR
2
(roughly
Rs.
186)
for
the
‘Single’
plan,
while
the
hike
is
also
applicable
on
the
‘Family’
plan.
This
development
comes
a
month
after
the
Google-owned
platform

raised
its
subscription
prices
in
India.

YouTube
Premium
Price
Hike

In
several

posts
on
Reddit,
users
reported
about
receiving
communication
from
the
video-streaming
platform
via
email
over
the
upcoming
price
hike.
In
European
countries
such
as
Belgium,
Ireland,
Italy,
and
Netherlands,
the
Single
plan’s
price
has
been
revised
from
EUR
11.99
(roughly
Rs.
1,100)
to
EUR
13.99
(roughly
Rs.
1,300).
Meanwhile,
the
Family
plan
is
tipped
to
have
been
hiked
by
almost
40
percent;
from
EUR
17.99
(roughly
Rs.
1,700)
to
EUR
25.99
(roughly
Rs.
2,400).

Similar
price
hikes
have
also
been
announced
for
Denmark,
Indonesia,
Malaysia,
Norway,
Sweden,
Saudi
Arabia,
and
the
UAE.
As
per
the
screenshot
of
the
emails,
YouTube
says
this
decision
follow
its
efforts
to
“continue
to
improve
Premium
and
support
the
creators
and
artists
you
watch
on
YouTube.”

The
revised
price
list
of
the
YouTube
Premium
subscription
in
the
affected
countries
is
as
follows:

According
to
an
Android
Headlines

report,
users
who
have
signed
up
to
YouTube
Premium
on
Apple
devices
have
encountered
an
even
higher
price
hike.

WhatsApp
has
begun
rolling
out
an
update
to
beta
testers
along
with
a
new
feature
designed
to
keep
users
safe
from
unwanted
messages
sent
from
unknown
accounts.
A
feature
tracker
spotted
a
new
feature
that
automatically
protects
users
from
unidentified
senders,
by
filtering
out
messages
under
specific
circumstances.
The
feature
is
already
available
to
some
testers
and
must
be
manually
enabled. It
will
eventually
join
two
other
‘advanced’
safety
features
aimed
at
protecting
user
privacy
while
using
the
messaging
app.

After
updating
to
WhatsApp
beta
for
Android
2.24.20.16,
users
will
have
access
to
a
new
setting
that
blocks
messages
from
some
unidentified
accounts
(via
WABetaInfo).
Beta
testers
who
are
running
the
latest
version
for
Android
smartphones
can
tap
on
the
three-dot
menu
>


Settings
>


Privacy
>


Advanced
>


Block
unknown
account
messages.
Gadgets
360
was
able
to
confirm
that
the
new
toggle
was
available
on
the
latest
beta
version.

WhatsApp
users
will
soon
gain
access
to
another
privacy
feature

Photo
Credit:
WABetaInfo

WhatsApp’s
description
for
the
new
feature
states
that
it
is
designed
to
protect
a
user’s
account
and
improve
device
performance.
Once
enabled,
the
messaging
platform
will
“block
messages
sent
by
unknown
accounts
if
they
exceed
a
certain
volume”.
An
influx
of
spam
messages
might
negatively
affect
the
performance
of
a
user’s
device,
and
the
new
feature
appears
to
be
designed
to
protect
users
from
automated
spam
messages.

This
feature
is
currently
limited
to
beta
testers,
which
means
that
users
on
the
stable
update
channel
will
have
to
wait
for
a
wider
rollout.
When
it’s
enabled,
users
will
still
see
messages
from
unknown
accounts
within
an
unspecified
limit
—
WhatsApp
is
unlikely
to
disclose
this
in
order
to
deter
spammers
from
bypassing
the
company’s
feature.

The
feature
to
block
messages
from
unknown
accounts
will
join
two
other
features
that
offer
advanced
privacy
on
WhatsApp
—
protecting
a
user’s
IP
address
in
calls,
and
disabling
link
previews
to
prevent
third
parties
from
inferring
a
user’s
IP
address.
All
three
features
are
options
and
must
be
manually
enabled
by
a
user
on
their
smartphone.