Facebook Messenger has launched its own split-screen group video chat feature, allowing for multi-video chats in one session.
The group chat can be used by six different people at the same time while 50 people in total can listen to the audio and send texts, stickers, emojis, and GIFs. You can also use filters like those Snapchat-style selfie masks during your video chat.
This feature is going to make the Facebook Messenger much more resourceful as it won’t be just a text messenger anymore and would be the perfect way for a group of friends to connect with each other live. Facebook itself calls it “perfect for those spontaneous moments where text just isn’t enough”.
The group video chat feature rolled out worldwide on iOS, Android, and web, today, though Android will have to wait for the MSQRD-powered selfie masks. The filter feature might not ever come to desktop.
Messenger Gets Video Calling
Facebook Messenger got one-on-one video calling feature back in April 2015, and since then, everyone has been anticipating the addition of the group video call feature. With over 245 million people using video calling regularly, it’s safe to say the feature will be a hit.
Facebook had already beaten other messengers like FaceTime/iMessage, Google Duo, Snapchat and others when it came to video calling. WeChat added the feature an year ago.
How it Works
If you want to use the group video calling feature, you can select friends or a group text thread to invite to a video call.
Six people in total will be able to use the video calling feature at the same time. The Messenger screen will switch to a gallery format, and whoever is speaking will take up the big bulk at the top of the screen while the rest of the 5 will have little thumbnails for each one at the bottom of the screen, quite like Hangouts.
Up to 50 other people can join the call, but they won’t appear in the video gallery and will only be able to listen to the on-going call.
WhatsApp has finaly introduced the most awaited features Video Calling & 2 Factor Authentication (2FA) out of Beta version, we have reported earlier. The world’s most used instant messaging service has been getting new features recently. The updated GIF support, document sharing and different emoji for example. These quality of life changes were not in a particularly high demand, unlike video calling.
The Most Demanded Feature:
WhatsApp users have demanded video calling ever since the option to call other WhatsApp users has become available. It had some issues at the beginning but they were eventually resolved or diminished to some extent. The small changes mentioned earlier have been coming to the instant messaging app over the past few weeks. However these changes didn’t warrant as much attention as video calling is getting now.
WhatsApp has introduced a new security feature which is most popular with the security named "2 Factor Authentication" that fixes a loophole in the popular messaging platform.
WhatsApp allows users to sign up to the app using their phone number, so if an attacker wants to hijack your WhatsApp account, they would require an OTP (One time password) send to your phone number.
The attacker can grab this OTP by diverting the SMS containing the passcode to their own computer or phone, using either a malicious app or SS7 vulnerability, and then log into the victim's WhatsApp account. The attack even works in case the phone is locked.
So in order to fix this issue, WhatsApp has now introduced Two-Step Verification (2SV) password feature for its Beta version for Android, which will help you lock down the WhatsApp set-up mechanism.
In other words, to reconfigure the WhatsApp account with two-step verification enabled, one must require not just OTP but also a 6-digit 2SV passcode set by the user.
How to Enable Two-Step Verification:
To enable two-step verification (2SV), you need to sign for the WhatsApp's Beta version, and follow these simple steps:
Go to WhatsApp Settings → Account → Two-step verification.
Click enable, set a 6-digit passcode and re-confirm it.
On next screen, enter your email ID (optional) to enable passcode recovery via email. (It's recommended to use email as backup so that you're not locked out of your account if you forget your passcode.)
Hit "Done, " and you are all set to go.
So, next time when you reconfigure your WhatsApp account on your new phone or want to add a new phone number to your account, the messaging app will require you to enter and confirm this six-digit secret code.
Providing your email address is optional, which if enabled, will help you reset your passcode when you forget it. Here's what WhatsApp explained about email option:
"We do not verify this email address to confirm its accuracy. We highly recommend you provide an accurate email address so that you are not locked out of your account if you forget your passcode. If you receive an email to disable two-step verification but did not request this, do not click on the link. Someone could be attempting to verify your phone number on WhatsApp."
Forget your passcode after setting it months ago?
For helping you remember your 2SV passcode, WhatsApp will periodically ask you to enter your passcode, and there is no option to opt out of this without disabling the 2SV feature.
For now, the feature is available only on WhatsApp beta version, and the company will start rolling out two-step verification with the release of a stable version for both the iOS and Android for over 1 Billion users in the coming weeks.
To enjoy two-step verification, you can sign up to become a beta tester and update to WhatsApp (Beta) version 2.16.346 straight from the Google Play Store.
Once signed up, your smartphone will be automatically updated to the WhatsApp Beta version in the next app update cycle.
Microsoft unveiled the Surface Studio Yesterday, an all-in-one PC with a 28-inch PixelSense display, with the thinnest display ever built according to Microsoft and a 3:2 display ratio. It also has an Intel Core processor, with a 2TB hybrid hard drive and an NVIDIA GPU, as well as integrated 2.1 speakers and a haptic feedback controller puck device.
The computer has a unique hinge on the back designed to make it more flexible for creative pursuits, and Microsoft’s Panay Panos said onstage it’s designed to “fundamentally change” the way people create.
The Studio has a touchscreen, 32GB RAM, a 2TB hybrid drive that combines HD and SD storage, four USB 3.0 ports, Ethernet, Audio, SD and Mini DisplayPort (no Thunderbolt) and the new radial input Surface Dial with haptic feedback. The speakers, ports and drive are contained in the base, which is a short, square box that lies between the chrome supports under the display.
Surface Studio’s display is designed to immerse the user as much as possible, according to Panay, which includes using 13.5 million pixels to make for a 192 PPI density that doesn’t reveal individual pixels no matter where you’re viewing from, according to Microsoft. The display also includes a feature Microsoft is calling TrueColor, which Panay says allows creators to “render the world… as he or she believes it needs to be rendered.”
What this means is that you can change your color space on the fly, meaning a filmmaker working in DCI-P3 can easily switch to sRGB to see how their content will look on TVs that don’t support the wider P3 color specification.
The display also features something called “True Scale,” which allows it to display print products at actual scale on the screen. “One inch on the screen is one inch in real life,” Panay said onstage at Microsoft’s product reveal on Wednesday.
Surface Studio’s hinge, which consists of two chrome arms attached to the base, is also designed to be reflective on purpose to further help it “fade to background,” according to Panay. It’s an interesting tactic for trying to reduce the user’s awareness of the actual hardware itself, and one that sounds a bit more like marketing hype than effective measure.
The Studio’s display includes a “linear mic array” that’s able to pic up a user’s voice from across the room, making it essentially an integrated Echo-like speaker thanks to the inclusion of Cortana in Windows 10.
Surface Studio also supports Surface Pen, making it an amazing option for graphics professionals. The Surface Dial works with the screen intelligently, giving you software tools like color sliders in various apps.
The hinge is designed to easily let you go from upright to flat working device without resistance, and the Surface Pen support really helps make that True Scale feature very appealing. It basically means you can write in full speed (the latency looks incredibly low) on a 1:1 8.5×11 piece of virtual paper on the screen.
Onstage, Panay also introduced and demonstrated the Surface Dial. It’s designed a new input device, in line with but different from things like mice and keyboards. Dial has global controls built-in, meaning they work throughout Windows at the system level. The Dial can work either laid out on the desk like a keyboard, or placed directly on the display, as in the image above. It’ll have different functions depending on which way you’re using it. Surface Dial also works with Surface Book, Surface Pro 3 and Surface Pro 4 for off-screen functions.
demo of the Surface Studio’s creative prowess included a demo from Madefire founder Ben Wolstenholme, who used it to create a thumbnail for an animated comic for his app. Wolstenholme explained how he used to do the same workflow on paper and in multiple steps, but he can now do it entirely digitally right on the Surface Studio, complete with assigning handy shortcuts like zooming for detailed inking to the Dial.
“It’s amazing to me that Surface Studio makes it possible for me to have my entire creative workflow in one place,” Wolstenholme said.
Surface Dial is open to developers, letting them create on-screen use cases that make it possible to use it to do things like change color while you’re actually in the act of digital painting, or adjusting scale and switching between tools on the fly.
The Surface Studio is available for pre-order now, and will arrive in Microsoft Stores for hands-on demos starting October 27. It’s going to ship in limited numbers by this holiday season, and is priced starting at $2,999.
Some users are reportedly getting the video call feature for WhatsApp.The world’s most used instant messaging service has been getting new features recently. The updated GIF support, document sharing and different emoji for example.
These quality of life changes were not in a particularly high demand, unlike video calling.
The Most Demanded Feature:
WhatsApp users have demanded video calling ever since the option to call other WhatsApp users has become available. It had some issues at the beginning but they were eventually resolved or diminished to some extent.
The small changes mentioned earlier have been coming to the instant messaging app over the past few weeks. However these changes didn’t warrant as much attention as video calling is getting now.
Available for Beta Users:
The video calling feature is becoming available for users at random. It is limited to the recent beta version of the app only. This requires that both of the people have video calling enabled on their version of WhatsApp. If they do not have video calling enabled they just get a regular call instead.
The video calling UI shows up even if the other person does not have the video calling enabled for them. They will also see a video calling option in their call logs but tapping it would just get you an error.
If you have video calling option available, when you tap the call icon on top of a chat, both video call and regular call option are available. Only a few lucky users seem to have access to this new feature however there is a way to get it running on your WhatsApp as well.
How to enable video calling:
According to Android Police,
We’ve had success forcing video calling to activate by wiping app data and logging in again. You can try this, but make sure you back up your chats first.
Remember this only works for the beta version of the app. We do not recommend trying this on the regular Google PlayStore version of WhatsApp.
For those who want to try out the beta, here’s the Android APK for sideloading.
A feature that has been in Google Allo and Snapchat from the start is now making its way to WhatsApp. You can now doodle on images or add stickers and emojis on them.
New Features in the Update
Aside from doodling and adding emojis on images, the update brings front facing flash support (screen flash) for selfies and video zooming options in the app’s camera.
The update was available in WhatsApp beta and is now available for the general public. Only Android users can avail this update for now. iOS users will have to wait.
According to the WhatsApp blog:
"When you capture a new photo or video or share one that’s already on your phone, you’ll automatically see the new editing tools. The WhatsApp camera feature now supports the front-facing flash so you can take the perfect selfie."
"In low light and at night, this will brighten up your screen and improve the quality of your photo. We’ve also added a convenient zooming feature for recording videos – just slide your finger up and down to zoom in and out. And to quickly switch between front and rear facing cameras, double tap on the screen."
Adapting to the Competition
This isn’t the first time Facebook has copied Snapchat’s features. They copied Snapchat stories and introduced it in Instagram, renaming it to Instagram stories.
It should be mentioned that Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg once offered to buy Snapchat from its CEO Evan Spiegel a few years ago.
Even though both Facebook Messenger and WhatsApp boast around a billion users each, Snapchat still poses a major threat because of its immense popularity among teens and the younger demographics. Facebook seems to be adapting and introducing new features in anticipation of the fact that Snapchat will become a major competitor to its messaging platforms soon.
The update is not yet available at the Google Playstore but is expected to be available today
The popular messaging service, WhatsApp, has been introducing some interesting new features such as the ability to send bold, italic and strikethrough messages and it is now rolling out two new features for its iOS users: callback and voicemail.
The new update carries the version number 2.16.8 and is available on the App Store. With the new update installed, you will now see that if you call someone and it gets rejected, you will now have three new options:
Cancel
Call Again
Voice Message
The “Cancel” button takes you back to the chat screen. The “Call Again” will, as the name implies, try to call the person you are trying to contact again and the third “Voice Message” button will record and send a recorded message to the other person’s phone.
How to Send a Voice Message?
The new update allows you to send a voice message or a voicemail if the person you are trying to contact does not answer the call. If your call is rejected you will now see an option of Voice Message on the extreme right side.
In order to use it, tap and hold onto the button to record a message. When you’re finished, just lift your finger off the screen and the message will be sent. The user on the other end will receive the voice message as a recorded voice note, just like you would regularly send it.
If the recording gets messed up or you want to cancel sending it, you can just swipe the Voice Message button to the left in order to stop the recording. Unfortunately, there is no way to listen to the recording before sending it.
How Do I Get the New Features?
iOS:
For iOS users, it is very simple. All you have to do is visit the App Store and update WhatsApp to version 2.16.8. Alternatively, you can follow this link.
Android:
The new features aren’t available as an update for regular users and they are only available for beta testing as of now. However, you can download the new update as an APK file and install it. In order to do so, follow the instructions below:
Download the APK file from this link on your Android smartphone.
After it’s done downloading, make sure you have allowed your phone to install applications from Unknown Sources.
Install the APK.
You’ll now have the updated WhatsApp.
That’s all that you need to do to get the new features on Android. We have tested this and can confirm that the new features do work.
Beware ! downloading application from unknown sources may cause serious hacks/viruses
Google has rolled out a new feature for Android users to keep its users account more secure: Native Android Push Notification when a new device accesses your Google account.
Google has already been offering email notification for newly added devices, but since people usually ignore emails, the tech giant will now send a push notification to your device screen, giving you a chance to change your password immediately before an intruder gets in.
Although it's a little change, the company believes people pay four times more attention on push notifications on their devices compared to email notification.
The new feature "increases transparency to the user of what actions they've performed and allows them to flag any suspicious activity they may be seeing on the device," the company says in its official blog post.
So, from now on, when a new device is added to your Google account, or, in other words, when a new device accesses your account, you will receive a push notification on your current Android device, asking:
"Did you just sign in?"
If yes, you can just ignore the notification. But if the activity appears suspicious, you just have to tap the "Review account activity" button to know about the details of the new device.
You can immediately change your password and add two-factor authorization (2FA) if you are worried someone else has accessed your account.
The new feature is rolling out to users gradually, and it may take over two weeks to reach all the users across the world.
Recently, Google is taking several measures to secure its users' account privacy. Google also introduced "Google Prompt" that makes 2-Step Verification (2FV) process much easier for you, allowing you to log in with just a single tap instead of typing codes.
Xiaomi announced its latest Android based OS version, MIUI 8, back in May. The UI update was released as a beta version in China back then. Today, the company has announced the global release of its MIUI 8. The global version of the ROM will consist of all the features found in the Chinese MIUI 8, plus some extra ones.
MIUI 8 is bringing a whole lot of visual changes to the interface while maintaining the same fluid animations and lag-free experience. The company claims they are “Using color in unlimited ways”.
Notification Drawer
The biggest change can be seen in the notification drawer which shifts from a two-pane one to single-pane one. The notification drawer now has a weather panel at the top which changes colors and animations according to the weather data.
Previously, the toggles used to be on the right pane. Now they have been moved to a single one and sit below the weather panel. The toggles can be edited and arranged as well.
Other changes include a color changing status bar with new animations across the whole UI, based on the apps in use. Xiaomi has kept an option for users to switch back to the old two-pane notification drawer, if they prefer the older one’s functionality.
Dual Apps
The most unique and the probably the best feature on the MIUI 8 is Dual Apps. Don’t mistake it for split screen multitasking. It is actually a change which allows users to have two instances of the same app installed simultaneously. For example, you can have two WhatsApp accounts for two different SIMs. This is unique and a great feature, something desired by users for quite a while.
Dual Spaces
Spaces are like having two different phones in one pocket. Each space has its own workspace, with its own separate set of apps, settings, customisations, image gallery. It is sort of like having two accounts on a single phone. One can be used for work, the other one for personal use.
While Android supports multiple accounts since Lollipop, Xiaomi has changed the original feature to make it more useful. Users can set different passcodes for each space and enter either one by simply entering the respective code. No need to switch again and again.
Another use-case for this is that people with tablets, or those who share their phones, can separate stuff from each other without much hassle.
Scrolling Screenshots
MIUI 8 brings another cool new feature, scrolling screenshots. Often, screenshots are limited since you can only show so much on such a small screen. This feature lets you take one long screenshot across a page by combining multiple images. The final image can then be cropped as well.
Quick Ball
It’s a small circular ball on the screen. The ball consists of quick shortcuts, basic functions like home, back and task manager plus shortcuts to apps of the user’s choice.
A similar feature has been available on rooted phones for quite some time but this is probably the first time an OEM has incorporated such a feature and improved it for daily use.
Other Features
Xiaomi has added some other nifty utilities into the mix as well:
Smart Caller ID and Spam Alert
Improved Mi Cloud Photo Sync (Saves storage automatically)
Built-in video editing tools
Revamped Task manager with music controls
Math Problem Solver
Multi-Window management
Power Saving mode
Wallpaper Carousal
New Animations for calls
Release Info
The public beta for the MIUI 8 Global ROM will be released as an OTA update on 11 July while the stable release will hit all devices starting August 16.
Devices eligible for the upgrade are Mi 5, Mi Max, Mi Note, Mi 4i, Mi 4, Mi 3, and Mi 2. The Redmi series devices include Redmi Note 3, Redmi Note 2, Redmi Note Prime, Redmi Note, Redmi 2 Prime, Redmi 2, Redmi 1s and Redmi 1.
At its annual Worldwide Developer Conference on Monday, Apple announced macOS Sierra, the next version of its computer operating system for Macs shipping this fall as a free update. It'll be available as a developer preview in July.
With macOS, Apple now has all of its operating systems for its various devices all tidied up. iPhone, iPad and iPod touch have iOS, Apple Watch has watchOS, Apple TV has tvOS and now Macs have macOS.
It's not just new branding. macOS will come with some useful new features.
Auto-unlock is one new feature that lets you automatically unlock your Mac when it detects you're wearing your Apple Watch right near it.
Apple Pay is also coming to the Mac via the web. "So now when you're shopping online, you'll have a pay with Apple Pay button," Apple's senior vice president of Software Engineering Craig Federighi said. Authentication is made with your iPhone's Touch ID fingerprint sensor.
IMAGE: SAMANTHA MURPHY KELLY/MASHABLE
Siri, Apple's personal voice assistant, finally makes its debut on the Mac. Siri is able to perform sophisticated queries according to Federighi. "Show the files I worked on last week about the offsite." Siri on the Mac works in conjunction with the Mac's Finder and works similarly to Windows 10's Cortana.
IMAGE: SCREENSHOT: APPLE
Picture-in-picture lets you shrink your video down into a smaller window so you can do something else while the video is running in a corner. The video window is resizable and you can move it anywhere on the screen.
iCloud Drive does more, too: You can sync multiple Mac desktops as well as view files stored on your Mac from your iPhone.
Optimized Storage will also smartly manage your files for you so your Mac always has enough storage; it does so by uploading files into the cloud and deleting them off your hard drive so you'll always have space, but never lose the files.
Universal clipboard, a feature that uses Continuity, will let users copy and paste between Macs and iOS devices.
While the new name and features are a big deal, macOS isn't a fundamental leap from the previous OS. Under the hood, macOS is still based on Unix. It's just a new name is all — and a whole bunch of new features
