Tag: messaging

WhatsApp Allows Quoting Messages, Crucial for Group Chats

A server side update on the popular messaging app, WhatsApp, has allowed the ability to replay to certain messages by selecting them and then pressing the reply text popup.

This then includes the message you are replying to , to make more sense in chaotic group chats. WhatsApp also previousl allowed you to include some basic formatting in your messages inlcuding Bold Text, Italics text and Strikethrough.

• Bold: Add an asterisk (*) before and after the specific words or phrases you want to embolden e.g. *hello*

• Italics: Add an underscore (_) before and after your chosen words or phrases e.g. _hello_

• Strikethrough: Add a tilde (~) before and after the words or phrases you want to strike a line through e.g. ~hello~

June 13, 2016
Allo is Google’s new Messaging App : Google I/O

Allo is Google’s new messaging app, another attempt from the company to take on the massive messaging space.

Featuring a new mode called whisper-shout, which lets you reduce or increase the size of the chat text before sending, Indicating your intent for the message.

The new app uses Google’s intelligent machine learning, to auto-predict replies and reduces typing by several times.

The Google Assistant sits within the messaging app and helps you do things like book movies, or reserve a table using open table. Things for which you would usually need to leave the app.

You can also have a one on one with the Google Assistant, asking questions and playing games with the virtual messaging buddy.

Allo will also include an incognito mode, which will encrypt messages end to end for the users.

May 18, 2016
Facebook is Slowly Turning its Independent Messenger App into WhatsApp

Recently, Facebook came out with a new feature that allows you to log into its Messenger without actually having a Facebook account. The social media giant made this announcement on Wednesday, stating that this move is being done to push Messenger’s count of 700 million users, higher. They said that users in US, Peru, Canada and Venezuela would no longer need a Facebook account to use Messenger.

Users in the mentioned countries can make an account using their names and their phone number only. They can upload their phone contacts to the app. Yes, we know what you’re thinking, this is quite similar to popular instant messaging apps like WeChat and (Facebook-owned) WhatsApp.

With Messenger, we’ve been focused on creating the best messaging experience possible by giving people a fun and easy way to connect and express themselves with friends. With this update, more people can enjoy all the features that are available on Messenger – including photos, videos, group chats, voice and video calling, stickers and more.

Last year in July, when Facebook announced that it will be removing the messaging feature from its mobile app, which will require people to use its standalone Messenger app instead. This forced users to download the Messenger app to chat with their Facebook contacts on their mobiles.

Just a few months prior to this, Facebook had acquired WhatsApp for $19 Billion. Then why, has Facebook been trying to make Facebook Messenger more and more like WhatsApp? It owns both. What difference would remain between the two, which were once entirely different apps?

The math is simple. Currently, WhatsApp has about 800 million active users, and Messenger has about 700 million monthly users. If added up, the number would outweigh any other competitive instant messaging app. Messaging has become a way of life, and there are many users that use Facebook purely for chatting and talking with friends. This group of users will find the change very welcoming.

Mark Zuckerberg is also on a spree to convert the chat-only app to something more. Messenger has, earlier this year, introduced the payment feature that allows you to make payments through the Messenger interface. He also introduced video calling and location sharing features.

Needless to say, we’re certainly interested to see where the continuously-evolving Messenger finally lands in the near future.

June 27, 2015
BBM for Android gets shown of in a Video

Event though the BBM for iOS and Android has not yet arrived, videos are starting to leak out and that is a good sign. Folks over at BlackberryOS have got hold of a test video of the new BBM for Android and it might just live up to the hype. Apart from the swipe in from the sides to chose chats and setting, the video shows the ability to transfer contacts through NFC, which is good sign that the messaging app will make the most of these the new features that are present in Android Devices.

Let us know below what you think.

September 3, 2013
Google Brings Free SMS on Gmail in India

Google has extended its free SMS chat service to India, whereby users can send text messages to mobile phones via Gmail Chat.

[quote]”You can send SMS messages to your contacts’ mobile phones using Gmail Chat … Google does not charge for using this service,” according to information available with Google’s website.[/quote]

The SMS service is available in India and 51 other countries in Asia, Africa and North America.

According to the feature, people using either chat programmes ( GTalk, or Gmail chat ) can send texts to mobile users for free and cell phone subscribers can reply at regular SMS rates.

To ensure maximum coverage, the company has tied up with mobile service providers Aircel, Idea, Loop Mobile, MTS, Reliance, Tata DoCoMo, Tata Indicom and Vodafone in a few cities, including Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata.

The service starts with 50 SMS credits for each user, every sent SMS costing one credit. Every reply received adds on 5 credits subject to the maximum level being 50 SMS at any given time. There is no official statement from Google on the launch of this service, however the service has gone live this evening in the chat windows of many users.

But don’t stress if you run out. “In case the SMS credit goes down to zero, it will increase automatically to one text after 24 hours. Keep in mind that if you’d like a higher message credit, you can always send an SMS to your own phone, and then reply to that message multiple times. Every time you reply, your SMS credit is increased by five. Effectively, you’re buying more messages by paying your phone company for these outgoing messages,” says Google in an explanatory post on its website.

October 13, 2012
Windows Phone 7.5 SMS bug found, requires a Hard Reset to fix

A new SMS bug has been found in the Windows Phone 7.5 devices, WP devices that receive a text containing a certain string of characters will reboot and return with a non-functional messaging client which can only be restored via a hard reset. The bug does not affect any particular device, but the OS. The funny bit is that the same bug message could be received via Facebook messenger or MSN messenger.

Android and iOS have had their fair list of SMS bugs, But never one that disables the messaging interface all-together.

December 16, 2011
WhatsApp Users send over 1 Billion messages daily

Do you use a popular messaging service? services like WhatsApp have taken inter device connectivity by storm. The company is reporting that their users send and receive over 1 billion messages over a number of platforms including Android, iOS and Blackberry.

The mobile messaging market is moving, choices around platforms and their pricing and how they provide an amazing customer experience are the hot topics at hand. As a leader in the messaging space and with our network now handling over one billion messages a day, we see that the power is with the consumer.

-Whatsapp

WhatsApp is currently available for iOS, Android, Windows Phone, BlackBerry and Symbian devices.

[VIA]

November 2, 2011
Microsoft Metro Apps Shown in a Video

Windows is using videos to get users accustomed to the new OS. With over 3 million Downloads. the new Windows 8 is gathering a lot of attention. Check out the full video of it in action below

September 17, 2011
Rumor : RIM is ready to bring BBM to iOS and Android

As we reported earlier HERE . Several different sources are confirming that RIM may just be ready to bring the BBM goodness to the iOS and Android operating systems. It will come as a messaging only app and not the full featured messenger on the Blackberry itself, But, it gives an end to the long awaited interconnectivity b/w BB folks and Apple Lovers. The Android version should be out in the near future, or within this year atleast. The iOS version may depend on how Apple approval system looks at the whole interface in the first place.

On both ends Pricing of the app remains unknown. So feel free to speculate on how much the app should be.

[Boy Genius Report]

March 3, 2011