Tag: Messenger

Facebook Messenger Bug Can Leak Sensitive User Information

Facebook CEO, Mark Zuckerberg posted his vision to eradicate the privacy concerns surrounding the social media website. In his article, he claimed that the company will focus on gaining the trust of its users and ensuring better product development. The social media company aims to achieve high privacy standards in the next few years while sticking to all necessary norms at the same time.

About The Bug

A report states that a bug in Facebook Messenger gave permission to websites to access users’ private data, including the people they have been exchanging messages with. It was reported by researchers that the vulnerability was in direct violation of the user-organization privacy policy since the data of the user wasn’t safe at all. Although the issue was reported to Facebook as per its Responsible Disclosure Program, the bug was mitigated via social media. As of now, the bug has been fixed by the company.

Previous Privacy Concerns

Also, as reported on March 5, users blamed Facebook for misusing their phone numbers. As per Facebook’s two-factor authentication, users had to sign up with their phone numbers, which were visible to advertisers. Consequently, a lot of users were being pestered by advertisements from sources they were not even familiar with.

Also Read: Facebook Planning To Integrate Whatsapp, Messenger And Instagram

It is still yet to be clear how Facebook will get rid of the multitude of bugs that are present in the social media website/app. The company states that it will achieve “Whatsapp-like” privacy and encryption in the upcoming months, but with the discovery of bugs almost every week, Facebook might need to step up its privacy checks.

March 9, 2019
Facebook’s New Message System Takes On SnapChat’s Self-Destruct Messages

Facebook is currently testing a new feature on their messaging app in France to introduce a self-destruct option within the Messenger app. This is not too difficult to operate, since one just has to click on a hourglass button at the top of the screen to activate it. The activation of this button will allow messages to be destroyed after one hour. In order to deactivate the feature, you’ll just have to click on the button again. In a public statement, Facebook said:

“We’re excited to announce the latest in an engaging line of optional product features geared towards making Messenger the best way to communicate with the people that matter most.

This is not the first time that Facebook has tried to introduce the idea of ephemeral messaging. It had previously introduced “Poke” in 2012 that was almost a copy of SnapChat, which had to be discontinued because it did not perform well. Eventually, they came out with another app called “Slingshot”, which was once again a take on SnapChat along with a couple of personalized features such as the fact that it required a photo in return before a message could be viewed.

Anyway, what’s done is done, let’s just hope this feature doesn’t tank too. And for all those wishing to erase a message already sent, or wishing you never sent them out and hoping it would get lost in the universe and never come up again – this could be your dream come true.

November 13, 2015
Facebook Updates Messenger in a Bid to Make Phone Numbers Useless

When the Facebook Messenger was launched for the first time in August 2011 as a standalone app for mobile phones, it was unclear where the company is headed with it. No doubt it was very convenient to have quick access to all Facebook messages, but the app didn’t serve any other purpose beyond that. In the face of other IM services like WhatsApp and Blackberry Messenger, the app was almost useless.

Other than eating up a lot of the phone memory and battery, Facebook Messenger for mobile phones did not do much. However, with the recent updates to the Messenger it seems Facebook might be headed somewhere with it.

Post the update of the Facebook Messenger, users would no longer require phone numbers to communicate with each other. Only your name and Facebook Messenger would be sufficient for people to contact you. The “Other Folder” would cease to exist and the user would have the option of accepting or rejecting new requests.

Messages of people in your Facebook contact list or those whose phone numbers are recorded in your synced phone would be directed towards your inbox. The others would simply fall under the category of ‘pending’ messages.

A message from a contact would be differentiated from one from a stranger and therefore would be presented to the user accordingly for response. Therefore those worried about privacy concerns can let go of the anxiety. Additionally, ‘ignoring’ people’s requests on the Messenger won’t give them any notification. So you can ignore the messages away without the fear of coming across as a sociopath.

This development in the Messenger seems like an attempt by the company to provide people a new mode of communication where they don’t even have to depend on phones or emails. They would instead have to depend on Facebook.

October 28, 2015
How to Post GIFs on Facebook

Facebook is gung ho about videos and animated pictures taking over the social networking site. Today, GIFs are the new way to greet and add some humour to your News Feed (because words were so 5 years ago). And it’s time people caught up with the trend. GIFs are short animated videos that say what you want to say in a funny, ‘pop culture’ referenced way, only minus the need to use words. To put it simply, GIFs are the new emojis.

Memes have been around for a while now. But Facebook felt that memes and smileys weren’t enough to convey ones feelings anymore. Initially, Facebook was against using GIFs, fearing that along with its autoplaying video feature the News Feed would become too cluttered. But the company had to cater to the users love for meme’s and GIFs. So, without further ado, here’s how you can post GIFs on Facebook.

Posting a GIF on Facebook

Posting a GIF is simple, however, you won’t be allowed to upload your own GIF files to your post as you would a photo. You’ll either need to create one and upload it on another hosting site or simply find a GIF that aptly describes your Monday morning blues, for example, from sites like Giphy, Imgur and Tumblr. Open the GIF and right-click on the image.

If you’re using Google Chrome, select the option ‘Copy Image URL’. For Firefox, the option is ‘Select Image Location’. And for Opera it’s ‘Copy Image Address’. Basically, every browser will have a similar option that allows you to copy the URL.

Next, log into your Facebook account and simply paste the URL in the ‘What’s on your mind?’ status field. Once the image appears, you can edit the status and write something so that people understand what the GIF is trying to convey. Hit Post and you’re done.

Now that you know how simple it is, go ahead and find your perfect GIF for the day and share it with your gang on Facebook. It’s all about spreading the joy and knowing that there are people out there who feel the same way about Mondays. Sigh.

You may have also noticed a GIF option in your Messenger and chat as well. Facebook has been testing the GIF and attachment buttons for the Messenger, though not all users have the feature yet. Open a chat window on the Facebook site or through the Messenger app and you’ll find a new GIF button next to the smileys icon.

The GIF option will show you some trending GIFs and it also lets you search for the GIF you want. Now you can have more animated discussions with your friends when you feel words just don’t cut it.

October 19, 2015
Facebook Launches Messenger App on Apple Watch OS2

Facebook launched its Messenger app on the Apple watch, just as it had promised to do in September. The update was rolled out yesterday on October 8th and is capable of supporting iOS 9 features, universal search and multitasking for iPads.

The Apple Watch runs on the OS2 software and so the messenger app is also compatible with it. However, the messenger app is a little different from how it is on a smartphone. This means, that you won’t be able to type out full messages, but will be able to choose from a list of answers already available. You can send a “like”, post stickers and also record and send voice messages. Apart from the active sending actions of the app, you can open pictures, videos and voice messages on the receiving end.

There is one small downside though, the app will support all the Facebook stickers but won’t be able to display them in their original GIF form. They’ll appear static on the watch.

There’s some good news for Android users too, the Messenger app will also be compatible with Android Wear. Therefore, Facebook has yet again ensured that everyone is happy and feels included at its party.

October 9, 2015
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
With this New Feature, Facebook Messenger is Now Ready to Take on Skype

Voice-Calling within the app is a recent trend every established and emerging messaging software company is following. Recently, Facebook joined the drift and updated its Messenger service to enable voice-calling in the app. Now users can talk face-to-face with their friends anywhere through Facebook.

Initiating the voice chat service is a child’s play, and users just have to tap on the video icon in the top right corner of the screen to pop up a voice call. The service is available for iOS and Android users as of now. Countries that will be able to access this feature are Belgium, Canada, Croatia, Denmark, France, Greece, Ireland, Laos, Lithuania, Mexico, Nigeria, Norway, Oman, Poland, Portugal, the UK, the US and Uruguay. The tool will soon arrive in other countries “over the coming months.”

The standard messaging service on Messenger still exists. Users can anytime stop a voice call and get back to the customary messaging platform and vice-versa. The company claims that there are over 600 million active users of its Messenger app, and the voice-calling tool will help them with real-time video communication.

Facebook’s Messenger platform is on a development spree. Previously, it added the ability to send money to friends via Messenger, which was followed by the release of Messenger platform for Developers to help people connect with businesses.

Check out the video below for a detailed description of voice-calling on Messenger:

April 28, 2015
Facebook Updated its Messenger App With Android Wear Support

Android Wear is the platform of choice for many, and Facebook recently added itself in the list. They’ve updated their popular Messenger app to work with Android Wear, leaving your phone to rest in your pocket.

Facebook recently had pulled out the chat option from its app, making Facebook Messenger a standalone app. Mark Zuckerberg is”The reason why we’re doing that is we found that having it as a second-class thing inside the Facebook app makes it so there’s more friction to replying to messages, so we would rather have people be using a more focused experience for that,” Zuckerberg said.

In an announcement by Facebook’s Ian Lake, an updated version of the Messenger, version 9, will include lots of new Android Wear focused improvements. First on the list is voice replies. The update includes the ability to tap the reply button when a message comes in, and speak what you want to say. Also included is the ability to mute a conversation directly from the Android Wear device.

Lake also mentioned that users will be able to reply to messages with the ‘thumbs up’ icon. No word on whether or not Facebook will follow suit and expand the selectable replies beyond just a ‘thumbs up’, but with Wear support constantly growing, we can’t help but imagine that new features are just around the corner.

Even with the shortcomings wearables can bring, this is still a major app supporting Android Wear. These are still early days for Android Wear, and Facebook Messenger support is pretty impressive

August 7, 2014
Facebook is Forcing Android Users To Download the Messenger App

Facebook announced on Monday that it will be removing the messaging feature from its mobile app over the next few days, and requiring people to use its standalone Messenger app instead. Hence, forcing users to download the Messenger app to chat with Facebook contacts on their mobiles.

“In the next few days, we’re continuing to notify more people that if they want to send and receive Facebook messages, they’ll need to download the Messenger app,” a Facebook spokeswoman said.

The change follows through on a plan announced in April and for now affects Facebook’s mobile app on iOS and Android. You’ll be able to send and receive messages on the desktop as before. The social networking giant told TechCrunch that it had seen “positive results” in Europe in terms of user engagement, and so decided to move ahead with rolling-out the standalone app to everyone.

The company notes that users can continue to chat via the main Facebook app on iPad tablets, feature phones, Windows Phone devices, via Paper app, and the Web-based desktop interface. The company said that this move is to make the Facebook messenger, the best app for messaging. It is also an effort to avoid any confusion that might arise from having two mobile products for the same thing.

The move will also greatly increase the number of people who use Facebook Messenger. CEO Mark Zuckerberg said on the company’s earnings call last week that Facebook was looking to turn Messenger into an important business. Messenger currently has more than 200 million monthly active users—just under a fifth of Facebook’s total user base. It can handle Internet-based voice calls, group chats, and exchanging photos and short videos, as well as sending text messages.

Facebook says the change will help improve the performance of both the apps over time. It’s already working to improve Messenger; the company recently hired the former PayPal President David Marcus as part of a push to build new capabilities for Messenger, possibly including payments.

Earlier this year, Facebook had announced an agreement to acquire WhatsApp, which also handles Internet-based messaging. Along with that the company also launched its own Snapchat-like app called Slingshot which is not well received.

Slingshot may not have performed to the company’s expectations, but when you have a billion plus subscribers, you have the freedom to force them to use an additional app which only performs a part of the function that the current app does. But we are ourselves are so addicted to this man’s creation that we will do as he commands and give some more of our phone storage and RAM to conquer.

July 30, 2014
BlackBerry Messenger Now Available For Android 2.3 Gingerbread

BlackBerry shared its plans to bring the BlackBerry Messenger on Android 2.3 Gingerbread on 28th of January 2014. Previously, the application was only available for the Android version Ice Cream Sandwich and above and now starting today BBM is also available for Android 2.3 Gingerbread users.

Ever since the availability of BlackBerry Messenger on other operating systems, the company has seen a tremendous response from the users. Now, after the availability of he BBM app for Gingerbread users, the app will be downloaded by more users. Gingerbread takes 21 percent of over all Android platforms, and BlackBerry mentions in the blog that they are expecting lot of more downloads for the app after it is made available for Gingerbread.

[BlackBerry]

February 19, 2014
Facebook’s New Messenger App to Reach More Users On Android and iOS

Facebook announced a while back that it will be testing new messenger app for its users, now with time users will be able to see the change for Facebook’s Messaging application.

The new version of the messenger app reached few Android devices a day back and the company has claimed that the app will also reach iOS devices as well. Facebook is no new to updates, but this time around it seems that Facebook has made some necessary changes to the messenger app. The new app is said to be faster while swiping to switch between conversations, users will now know which friends are using the app if you see the Messenger icon –displayed at the extreme left-– next to their name. If you see the Messenger icon, that means your friend is also using the mobile Messenger app, and will get notified instantly about your message.

The new update is now available to more devices, but all devices have still not got the latest update. Fore more information you can check out the source.

[Facebook]

November 14, 2013
BlackBerry : BBM App Won’t Relaunch This Week

BlackBerry has provided an update to the millions of eager BlackBerry Messenger users who are waiting for the app to arrive on both iPhone and Android.

The app was successfully launched on iPhone in several countries on time on Saturday, but the Android version was met with difficulty and never arrived. Many Android users resorted to install leaked and “unreleased, older version” from various file sharing sites that apparently “resulted in volumes of data traffic orders of magnitude higher than normal for each active user and impacted the system in abnormal ways.” BlackBerry then paused the launch on both platforms. The app had been installed over 1.1 million times.

Andrew Bocking, head of BBM at BlackBerry, took to the company blog and informed the masses that “the team is now focused on adjusting the system to completely block this unreleased version of the Android app when we go live with the official BBM for Android app. We are also making sure that the system is reinforced to handle this kind of scenario in the future.”

As for a release of BBM for iPhone and Android? Well, nothing concrete from BlackBerry. Bocking noted that getting BBM to operate as it should is not a “simple task” and “will take some time and I do not anticipate launching this week.”

[Via]

September 24, 2013
BlackBerry BBM For Android, iPhone Released

Most users now will be able to install BlackBerry’s iconic BlackBerry Messenger (BBM) app on their Android devices and iOS devices starting today.

It’s been a long wait for the BlackBerry Messenger service to go cross platform, but after months of anticipation BBM for Android and iPhone apps will go live today.

“BBM for Android will be available at 12 pm on Saturday 21,” an official statement from the company confirmed in the run up to the launch. The BBM Android app will be available as a free download and allow users to chat for free with follow BBM users across all platforms. The first time BBM will have been made available to none BlackBerry handset users, the BBM Android app will precede the BBM iOS app by a matter of hours, with the iPhone bound iteration to be rolled out just after midnight.

It’s features include everything you’ve come to expect from the program: traditional instant messaging, group chat for up to 30 people, and user profiles.

In order to use the app, you will need to signup for a BlackBerry ID, which will only take a few minutes. Signup is done through the app once its installed. For those concerned about privacy, you’ll be happy to hear that BlackBerry will assign you a PIN and you will not need to disclose your phone number or email to anyone in order to begin messaging.

For millions, the app will be a matter of nostalgia. There are a large number of Android and iPhone users who have owned a BlackBerry at one time or another.

If you can’t see the app on your App Stores yet, wait for a few hours!

Note : As many of our followers have notified us, there are a lot of fake apks floating around, so be careful while installing the app. BBM for iOS has already been put up on the Australian App Store, so we expect other stores to follow suit soon!

September 21, 2013
Facebook Brings Stickers To The Web (PR)

Earlier this spring Facebook announced Home, a suite of apps for Android meant to make elements of the social site native to the phone. A month later, Facebook pushed out some features of Home to their iOS Messages app, including Chat Heads and stickers. Stickers are now rolling out to desktop users, and these users can choose from a catalog of available images in Facebook’s Sticker Store.

Sending stickers is simple: click on the smiley icon in your message, browse the top of the sticker window to decide on the pack you want, and make a selection. The basket icon takes you to Facebook’s sticker store, where you can find additional packs.

Though they’re calling the collection a “store,” the stickers are currently free, although Facebook could one day decide to sell sponsored stickers. Though the social network is increasing their push to bring stickers to their messaging platform, (other social networking apps also offer stickers), TechCrunch says their head sticker designer has left the company.

[toggle title=”Press Release”]Spice up your conversations now with Facebook Messenger
Facebook Messenger gets updated with Chat Heads and Stickers

Facebook, one of the largest social networking platforms has announced some upgrades in its instant messaging app Facebook Messenger and has rolled out a few interesting features such as Chat Heads and Stickers.

Facebook now makes it easy to send private messages. Today, more than 10 billion messages are sent each day in total on Facebook. Private sharing and connecting is a big part of the Facebook experience. No matter what you’re doing or where you are, you want to reach your friends on Facebook – and you’re reaching your friend, not a phone number or a screen name so it’s personal, real and intimate.

To spice up the conversation and keep your chats at the finger tips Facebook Messenger comes up with features such as Chat Heads and Stickers. Stickers are a way of letting the user free, of the same old smileys and emoticons. The user can use these to spice up the conversations and make them more interesting and fun. Chat heads allows the user to be just one tap away from chatting with his friends. The most frequently connected user on Facebook, appears on the home screen inside a circular shape, and does not go away until and unless, it is double tapped upon. Chat Heads make the texting experience quick and easy; it allows the user to switch between friends without having to go on the friend list again and again.

Stickers have been available on the Facebook and Facebook Messenger apps for iOS and Android and now users can send them right from messages or chat on their desktop as well.

Here are some quick tips to show you how to get the most out of Facebook mobile messaging.

1. Start messages instantly
From the Facebook app, tap the icon in the top right of your News Feed to get to the messaging sidebar. Just tap the name of a friend and your message will reach them wherever they log in to Facebook – on their smartphone, feature phone or the web. Want to know who will get notified about your message on their phone? Look for the mobile icon.

2. Message groups of friends
Making plans to see a movie with a small group of friends? Tap the message bubble icon at the top of the screen. Tap the Group button, then tap the names of the friends you want to message. Once you start a group conversation, you can give it a name like “Movie Crew” so it’s easy to find it again later.

3. Send a sticker
Stickers make Facebook messages more fun. Just tap the smiley to send a bunny, a cat or another cute critter. To download more stickers, just tap the basket icon. Stickers are a lightweight way to tell friends how you’re feeling, what you’re up to or to just say hi.

4. Share a photo
Sometimes you only want to share a photo with a handful of people. To add photos to a private conversation, tap + and choose from the photos on your phone or take a new one. People in the conversation just tap the photo to see it expand.

5. Multi-task with chat heads
With chat heads in Facebook for iPhone, you can keep chatting while you do other things on Facebook like check News Feed or post to a group. If you have Facebook Messenger for Android, you can keep chatting while you use other apps. Just tap the chat head when a new message arrives. Your friend’s message will open on top of your browser app for example so you can send a response without having to switch back and forth. When you’re done, tap the chat head to close the conversation and drag the chat head down to the ‘X’ to dismiss it.

6. Download the Messenger app
Want to get to your messages faster? The standalone Facebook Messenger app lets you get right to all your conversations from your Android or iPhone home screen. To download the app, go to: http://bit.ly/fbandroidmessenger or http://bit.ly/fbiosmessenger
[/toggle]

July 4, 2013
Hike Launches Stickers, Walkie-Talkie, Last Seen And Hike Offline Features (PR)

Hike, a free cross-platform messaging app from BSB, announced the launch of a major update. The update offers its users expressive and fun stickers, ‘last seen’ amongst circle of friends, walkie-talkie and enables users to send messages even when the recipient is offline.

Commenting on the update, Kavin Bharti Mittal, Head of Product and Strategy, BSB said “At BSB, we’re constantly thinking on how to re-invent messaging, make it simpler and easier to use in a mobile-first world. The latest update is a great example of how we’ve put that thinking into action. We’ve handcrafted some really fun and expressive stickers that we believe will add a lot more character and fun to messaging especially amongst the youth.”

With the new Hike update, users can now chat with each other using new innovative stickers at the tap of a finger. Hike now comes power-packed with a variety of sticker packs, including Miley the cat, Snuggles the dog, Expressions, Rage Faces and even a playful Bollywood pack.

In a conversation, Hike recognizes when one of the users is offline and allows users to send the message as a free SMS to that person. The reply from the offline user comes back into hike for other online users, making messaging extremely seamless on hike.

Kavin said, “From the feedback we’ve received, we’ve realised that the lack of such a feature was creating a break in messaging, not only for hikers but also for the entire messaging populace. We’re extremely proud about hike offline. We believe its a game changer for this market.”

The company also introduced two additional features. A brand new Walkie-Talkie feature that allows users to send voice messages in real-time and the ability to see when your friends were ‘Last Seen’. Users will be able to choose who sees when they were ‘Last Seen’ on the app.

Hike is available globally on iOS, Android, Blackberry, WP, S40; and is made with love in India.

[toggle title=”Press Release”]hike launches Stickers, Walkie-Talkie, Last Seen and hike Offline features
· Crossed 5 million users in April and is now handling close to a billion messages/month
· Announces availability on Blackberry

New Delhi, June 19th, 2013: hike, a free cross-platform messaging app fromBSB, today announced the launch of a major update. The update offers its users expressive and fun stickers, ‘last seen’ amongst circle of friends, walkie-talkie and enables users to send messages even when the recipient is offline. Commenting on the update, Kavin Bharti Mittal, Head of Product and Strategy, BSB said “At BSB, we’re constantly thinking on how to re-invent messaging, make it simpler and easier to use in a mobile-first world. The latest update is a great example of how we’ve put that thinking into action. We’ve handcrafted some really fun and expressive stickers that we believe will add a lot more character and fun to messaging especially amongst the youth.”

With the new hike update, users can now chat with each other using new innovative stickers at the tap of a finger. hike now comes power-packed with a variety of sticker packs, including Miley the cat, Snuggles the dog, Expressions, Rage Faces and even a playful Bollywood pack. When words are just not enough, you can say it all with stickers.

The company today, is also introducing first of its kind, revolutionary feature called ‘hike Offline’. In a conversation, hike recognizes when one of the users is offline and allows uers to send the message as a free SMS to that person. The reply from the offline user comes back into hike for other online users, making messaging extremely seamless on hike.

Kavin avers, “From the feedback we’ve received, we’ve realised that the lack of such a feature was creating a break in messaging, not only for hikers but also for the entire messaging populace. We’re extremely proud about hike offline. We believe its a game changer for this market.”

The company also introduced two additional features. A brand new Walkie-Talkie feature that allows users to send voice messages in real-time and the ability to see when your friends were ‘Last Seen’. Users will be able to choose who sees when they were ‘Last Seen’ on the app.

With the new update, hike intends to introduce a new communication style where users can connect and share with each other, using a plethora of features that have been developed keeping in mind the unique needs and interests of the Indian market.

With the launch of these new features hike also announced the availability of hike for Blackberry. The app was previously available in beta for Blackberry users.

hike is available globally on iOS, Android, Blackberry, WP, S40; and is made with love in India.

You can download the app at – http://get.hike.in/[/toggle]

June 21, 2013