Social

WhatsApp is found to be upgrading the existing voice messages function on its platform with a global voice message player that would allow you to listen to voice messages when you look at your recent chats. The update is reportedly in development for beta testers at the present stage. Separately, WhatsApp is reported to have

WhatsApp now allows you to permanently hide chats by archiving them, even if new messages come in that conversation. This feature from the Facebook-owned messaging company is a great way of shutting off unwanted conversations, and keeping them from showing up in your main list of chats. The Archive folder essentially allows users to ignore

US senators on Thursday grilled Facebook on its plans to better protect young users on its apps, drawing on leaked internal research that showed the social media giant was aware of how its Instagram app harmed the mental health of teens. The hearing in front of the Senate consumer protection subcommittee was called after the Wall

Major social media stars including Kim Kardashian, Justin Bieber, and Charli D’Amelio are among celebrities whose Instagram followers experience more negative feelings about their self-image, according to internal Facebook research revealed by the Wall Street Journal this week, raising questions about the impact of celebrity culture online. The Journal released the leaked research slide decks

WhatsApp banned over 2 million accounts in the month of August to curb abuse and prevent harmful behaviour on the platform. The latest transparency report from WhatsApp, published to comply with the new Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules 2021, reveals that it banned a total 20,70,000 accounts in one month.

Social audio chat app Clubhouse is launching the ability to record and replay conversations and also download 30-second clips to share on social media or other sites, it said on Thursday. The app will also roll out an improved search function to help people find live and scheduled audio rooms, users and clubs oriented around

TikTok is joining hands with creators and artists like Lil Nas X, Rudy Willingham, Bella Poarch, and Curtis Roach to issue its first non-fungible token (NFT) collectibles. TikTok Top Moments from the Bytedance-owned app will feature six original NFT videos from creators. The TikTok creators will work with established NFT creators like Coin Artist, x0r,

Facebook has announced a set of new features to enhance integration between Instagram and Messenger. The new features include cross-app group communication, new group typing indicators, and polls on Instagram DMs (direct messages). The cross-app group feature chat allows people to start group chats between their Instagram and Messenger contacts, while with the group typing

YouTube will block all anti-vaccine content, moving beyond its ban on false information about the COVID vaccines to include content that contains misinformation about other approved vaccines, it said in a blog post on Wednesday. Examples of content that won’t be allowed on YouTube include claims that the flu vaccine causes infertility and that the

Russian authorities on Thursday warned social media giant Facebook it faces a fine of up to 10 percent of its annual turnover in the country unless it fails to delete content Moscow deems illegal. Upping the ante in its standoff with US Big Tech, state communications regulator Roskomnadzor told Reuters it was planning to send

Facebook, under criticism over internal data showing its Instagram app damaged the mental health of teenagers, plans to highlight during a US Senate hearing on Thursday what it argues were more positive impacts, according to the company’s prepared testimony seen by Reuters. Antigone Davis, global head of safety at Facebook, will detail the company’s previously announced

Facebook will invest $50 million (roughly Rs. 370 crores) to partner with organisations to responsibly build the so-called metaverse — a digital world where people can use different devices to move and communicate in a virtual environment. Facebook, the world’s largest social network, has invested heavily in virtual reality and augmented reality, developing hardware such

China’s cyberspace watchdog and other government bodies will set up governance rules for algorithms in around three years, it said on Wednesday, as Beijing seeks to tighten its grip on the algorithms technology companies use to attract users. The Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) said in a statement that algorithms developed by technology firms should

TikTok hit 1 billion monthly active users globally this summer, the company told Reuters, marking a 45 percent jump since July 2020. The United States, Europe, Brazil, and Southeast Asia are the biggest markets for the popular short-video app, the company said. TikTok has experienced surges in users around the world in the past few years,

Social media firms must do more to stop advertising “dodgy financial promotions” that fuel a surge in fraud or face action, Britain’s Financial Conduct Authority said on Tuesday. “We are putting them on notice that we expect them to be involved in this process of protecting the community,” the FCA’s head of enforcement Mark Steward

Skype is getting a bunch of new features in its latest update. Microsoft is rolling out design changes along with a bunch of improvements on the video calling platform. The grid displayed during calls on Skype will soon include everyone in a call. Also, Microsoft is adding new layouts and themes to the application. Skype

WhatsApp is found to be working on expanding its multi-device feature to let users access the instant messaging app on multiple devices based on Android and iOS. At present, the feature works in beta as an opt-in offering designed for WhatsApp on the Web, desktop, and Facebook Portal. It allows users to access WhatsApp on

Instagram is pausing work on a version for children younger than 13, called “Instagram Kids”, the Facebook-owned photo sharing app said on Monday. US lawmakers and advocacy groups have opposed the launch of “Instagram Kids”, urging the social media giant to drop its plans and stating that it had failed to “make meaningful commitments to protecting

Zoom has added a new feature called ‘stop incoming video’ that allows users to block video feeds of other participants in a meeting. With the latest feature, Zoom users in a meeting can easily disable all incoming videos. If you are using a restricted connection, this feature will help preserve bandwidth for shared content. Zoom has

Facebook said on Wednesday it is underreporting the results of its advertising business on Apple iOS devices, acknowledging that recent privacy changes from the iPhone maker have made it more expensive and difficult for brands to advertise on Facebook. Shares of the social media giant were down 3.7 percent at $344.32 (roughly Rs. 25,390) in morning trading. Facebook said