• A variety of Gmail bugs have been acknowledged by Google
• They cover automatic filtering, spam, and delivery delays
• The Gmail app should now be getting back to normal for users

You may well have noticed issues with the automatic filters and spam scanning in your Gmail inbox over the weekend: these are issues that Google has officially acknowledged, and a fix should now be making its way out to users.

As per the Google Workspace Status Dashboard (via Engadget), numerous issues affected users of Google's email app across the course of Saturday. These issues included "misclassification of emails" via Gmail's built-in automatic filtering.

That filtering should put less important emails (such as promotions and social media updates) into separate tabs away from your main inbox. It's been in place for years, and is a clever feature – when it works – that you can also tweak manually by dragging emails between different tabs.

With these "misclassification" problems, you may well have seen your Primary inbox tab somewhat overrun with special deals, newsletters, and updates from sites you're signed up to, rather than emails from actual people.

Spam and delays

Broken automatic filtering hasn't been the only issue that Gmail users have been struggling with. Google reports that "misclassified spam warnings" were cropping up, indicating that emails hadn't been checked for spam content.

You may have seen a "Gmail hasn't scanned this message for spam, unverified senders, or harmful software" message on some emails – though it's not clear whether the scans were actually failing, or the warning message was showing up when it shouldn't have been. On top of that, "delays in receiving email" have been reported by users and by Google.

There is some good news: the issue was marked as "resolved" by Sunday morning, though there seem to be some discrepancies in Google's own recorded logs of events as to how long the problems persisted for and when the fix finally rolled out.

Your Gmail inbox should now be back to normal, though Google notes that some warnings "may persist" for emails sent before the problem was resolved. There's also the promise of an analysis of what went wrong, once an internal investigation has been completed.

Gmail, the email service that almost started out as a joke but rose to become a dominant player in the space, is exactly 20 years old on April 1.

It is for most of us, as hard to imagine a world without Gmail as it is for us to search without Google. But Gmail was a latecomer to the email game, arriving decades after we started using computers to deliver electronic messages to third-party providers who would, like the old-school post office, sort and send them along to their proper digital destination. It was well after MSMail and ccMail but early enough that we still demanded a hyphen between “e” and “mail.”

Ever the cheeky upstart (despite by then being the most-used search engine), Google launched Gmail on April Fool’s Day to mostly widespread confusion. At PCMag, where I worked at the time, we admitted that “Google's release included language which sounded like a ruse” and no one was quite sure if the search giant was serious about entering the crowded email space. Part of that had to do with the quite limited availability of the platform.

Google was among the first Internet companies to offer invite-only access to a new service. It was a brilliant bit of marketing but also had a more practical purpose. Google had struggled to launch Gmail and was still learning when it moved into public beta. Open access would’ve overwhelmed the system, forcing untold crashes, possibly un-delivered mail, and probably made it almost impossible to learn about what people wanted, needed, and used most often in the IMAP mail platform (there was no POP3 support at launch).

Welcome to the party, pal

On April 22, 2004, almost four weeks after the launch, I got access. I still have the welcome message, that told me I was “one of the very first people to use Gmail,” and thanked me for “agreeing to test Gmail.” The email described some of the key differences, like “searching instead of filing.” Gmail didn’t use folders, a time-honored way of organizing email, and instead focused on labels and conversations. To this day, the concept of folders in Gmail is foreign and I’m not sure I have ever loved the more amorphous “labels”.

It had some advanced features like filters and address autocomplete. And, of course, it came with 1GB of storage, an amount unheard of at the time for a free email service, which now seems woefully inadequate. Google's pitch at the time was that we could stop wasting time deleting emails and save everything. I think I over-committed to this concept.

While Gmail didn’t have pop-up or banner ads (thank God), there were text-based ads in a column to the right (Gmail ads now mostly live under the “Promotions” tab). This turned out to be Gmail’s most controversial “innovation”. To provide contextual ads, Google would have to “read” the contents of your email. That sounded like an insane privacy violation, and I wrote about the concern right before I gained access. I reminded readers that computers, at least back then, didn’t really “read” anything. They had neither the eyes nor the consciousness to understand the context. Google was, of course, already anonymizing the data and delivering contextual ads without delivering your private bits to third parties. I also noted that, without those ads, we might not get all that, at the time, free storage. It’s worth noting that those early concerns did nothing to hinder Gmail’s growth.

Along with access to Gmail came some invites that I could dole out. They arrived in small bunches, and I would give them to co-workers, colleagues, and friends. Some people who knew I had a Gmail account sent me emails and AOL messages pleading for access. Whenever I gave someone access, Gmail would notify me of when they signed up and created their new Gmail address “so we could stay in touch with Gmail!” While not a social network, Google was aware of the inherently social nature of email. Keeping newbies connected was how it built that network and generated just enough FOMO to keep the service growing.

All the information

Google took a risk when it launched Gmail, and it knew it. In the original FAQ, Google had to explain why a Search company would launch an email service:

“Why is Google offering email? I thought you were a search company.

Google's mission is to organize the world's information and make it universally useful and accessible. For many people, email contains valuable information that can be difficult to retrieve. We believe we can help with that.”

It was further evidence that Google’s strategic aim was never just about search results, it was about information, yours, mine, and everyone else’s. Google wanted to organize the world’s information no matter the form, from search results, to mail, to video and images, and location. That quest never stops and not everyone is happy about it.

Even so, it’s worth celebrating Gmail, an online service that entered an entrenched market and ultimately remade it in its image. It never was and will likely never be a joke.

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If composing the perfect email isn't your forte, help could be on the way from Google, in the shape of a new AI voice feature for Gmail that’s set to make drafting emails less of a chore for Android users.

At its IO event in March last year Google announced a new ‘Help me write’ tool that creates draft emails based on written prompts that you enter – for example, you could ask the AI to draft an email party invitation, or a job application.

The feature is currently only available in Google’s invite-only Workspace Labs program, which enables selected users to try out new AI features before they’re rolled out to users more widely.

Now it appears Google is going one better, by enabling you to submit prompts with your voice, rather than having to type them. The updated feature is called ‘Draft email with voice’ and was spotted by Android blog TheSpAndroid. The new voice feature is also currently only available in Google Workspace Labs, and we don’t yet know when either of these AI tools will be officially released. 

Gmail’s new feature goes beyond the voice-typing functions you’ll currently find on a standard keyboard on an Android device. ‘Draft email with voice’, like ‘Help me write’, is integrated within the Gmail app, rather than being an option on your keyboard.

Built into Gmail

As you can see in the images above, ‘Draft email with voice’ opens immediately above your device’s keyboard when you start a new email. You can then tap the microphone icon to start recording your prompt, for example, “Schedule a meeting with John for next Friday at 3pm to discuss the project”.

To submit the prompt, tap ‘Create’ and Gmail will generate a full email draft – you can then edit the text, or ask Gmail to generate a new version, and you can also supply feedback on the generated text. 

As mentioned, we don’t yet know when either ‘Help me write’ or ‘Draft email with voice’ will be publicly available, or which devices will support the features. But it's an interesting insight into the time-saving features that could be available in the Gmail app soon.

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Got an old Gmail account that you set up a while ago but have forgotten about? It could be worth tracking it down and signing in, because Google will start deleting inactive Gmail accounts from tomorrow, December 1.

Google first announced that it was changing its "inactive account policies" back in May, stating that "if a Google Account has not been used or signed into for at least two years, we may delete the account and its contents."

While that might not sound too concerning for most Gmail users, the content that Google will delete includes emails, Docs, Drive, Meet, Calendar and Google Photos. So if you've previously set up an account that is tied to some old photos that you haven't backed up, it could be worth finding the account and logging in.

The act of signing into the Gmail account or using Google Drive should be enough to take it out of the path of Google's digital flamethrower. And Google says it'll only "begin deleting accounts" from December 1 rather than pressing a single kill switch for all two-year-old accounts. But you'll need to "specifically sign into Google Photos" to prevent snaps in that service from being deleted.

Google says it's been sending multiple notifications in the months leading up to deletion day, to both the account email address and a recovery email (if you provided one). So the only real danger is if the Gmail account is tied to an old email address that you don't use regularly.

The reason for this culling of old Gmail accounts is apparently security, with Google stating that older accounts are "more likely to be compromised" because they rely on old or re-used passwords. That certainly sounds fair enough, though Google's bigger priority right now may be the Google Drive issues that have seem some users lose months of data.

Time for a takeout

This wave of Gmail account deletions and Google's recent Drive issues have highlighted the importance of backing up your data. If you're not sure how to do it, read our guide on how to save your Gmail files from deletion using Google Takeout.

While the classic 3-2-1 backup strategy is still a sensible one to follow, the rise of ransomware attacks and the fact that cloud storage providers – even ones as large as Google – aren't infallible means that even that historical 'gold standard' is being reconsidered, in favor of 3-2-2 or even 3-2-3 backup strategies.

As those names suggest, rather than simply backing up to two different types of local storage and a cloud service, some businesses are also choosing two different types of cloud storage provider (that are separated geographically) to insulate themselves from data center outages. 

Still, for individuals, the classic 3-2-1 system remains superior to simply relying on a single cloud backup. And if your data backup mainly revolves around backing up photos and videos, we'd also recommend checking out our guide to making the ultimate photo backup for Adobe Lightroom or Google Photos. 

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WhatsApp has just upgraded its video calls feature with two new big features, including a screen-sharing feature that sees it rival FaceTime, Zoom and Teams.

If you regularly find yourself in video chats where you'd like to share photos or live web pages with friends and family, you'll soon be able to do that on Android, iOS, and Windows.

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced the new feature on Facebook (below) alongside the caption "we're adding the ability to share your screen during a video call on WhatsApp".

While clearly designed to tempt you away from the likes of Zoom and Teams, WhatsApp's new screen-sharing feature isn't just designed for work presentations. Because you can share your screen or an app, Meta thinks you'll also be using it to share photo galleries, plan vacations or help your grandparents with tech problems.

The feature is being rolled out gradually, so you may not see it immediately in the app, but once it's available you'll be able to share your screen by starting a video call, then tapping the 'share' icon at the bottom of the screen (see bottom-left in the image below) tapping 'continue' on the pop-up box, then hitting 'start now'.

This feature has been available for WhatsApp beta testers on Android since May, but is now getting a full rollout alongside another new feature – a dedicated landscape mode for video calls, which WhatsApp says will offer a “wider and more immersive viewing and sharing experience".

As the image above shows, both WhatsApp improvements have landed in the run-up to Meta Connect, which kicks off on September 27 and will include the announcement of the Meta Quest 3.

A busy time for WhatsApp

The new WhatsApp screen-sharing feature, which you can see above, should be a popular addition to the app's ever-growing list of features, which it's been bolstering at a rapid pace this year.

In recent months, we've seen the arrival of video messages and eight-person video calls on Windows desktop. Beta testers have also been tinkering with Companion Mode, which lets you use your account on up to four devices simultaneously.

These features followed several other tweaks, including the ability to edit messages and Chat Lock, which places your conversations behind a locked folder that can only be accessed using your phone's password or biometrics.

Clearly, Meta wants WhatsApp to not only compete with FaceTime, Zoom and Teams, but also ward off other private messaging apps like Telegram. While there is clearly a danger of feature bloat, the idea of flexible 'everything' apps is growing – with Elon Musk's X (formerly Twitter) clearly after some of that pie, too.

Google has threatened to spoil Christmas for many people this year after sending out emails to users warning them that inactive accounts would begin to be deleted on December 1, 2023. 

This decision will affect accounts that have not been active or signed into within a two-year period, as reported by Chrome Unboxed. Users will also be notified if their accounts are up for the chop prior to deletion. Google’s email explicitly states that several emails will be sent to the account inbox, as well as recovery email accounts (if any are provided), before action is taken or any content is deleted. 

The reminder emails will continue for a minimum of eight months before action is taken. It’s not clear if this means two years after eight months of notifications, or if the eight-month period is folded into the two years of inactivity. Once that time is up, the inactive Gmail account will be unable to be accessed or used to create a new Google account. If this sounds like it might affect you, here’s what you need to do.  

What can you do to prevent deletion? 

The easiest way to make sure your account is left untouched is to log in at least one time every two years. This will ensure that your account is considered active and should not (in theory) be flagged up for deletion. You can do other things while logged in to retain your account’s active status such as checking and sending emails, downloading apps from Google’s Play Store, carrying out a Google search, going on YouTube, performing actions in the linked Google Drive, authorizing a third-party app or service via your Google account, and more.

Google Accounts used to log into YouTube, accounts that have gift cards on them with money left to spend, and accounts that publish apps on the Google Play store won’t be deleted – for now, at least. Google may choose to take action if these are inactive also, including on said services, so it may be wise to keep an eye on those accounts if you have any as well. 

Rationale for the new deletion campaign 

So why is Google doing this? Back in May, Google changed its product policies with regard to inactive accounts, and according to Ruth Kricheli, Google's VP for Product Management, this is to make sure that accounts aren’t being compromised and misused. Longer periods of inactivity can be a sign that these accounts are being misused or that the original user may have lost access to it (perhaps by forgetting the password). 

Older accounts are less likely to have two-factor authentication and fewer security measures set, and are therefore even more at risk of being hijacked. Accounts that are no longer used are at least 10 times less likely to have 2-step-verification according to Google’s internal analysis (as Bleeping Computer reports citing Kricheli). 

Additionally, they likely use older or recycled passwords that may have already been leaked. If a dead account gets hijacked by a malicious user, a it can be used in a myriad of nefarious ways such as identity theft, spam emails, and phishing scams. 

Google’s email regarding account deletions expands on the reasoning behind this decision: 

"We want to protect your private information and prevent any unauthorized access to your account even if you're no longer using our services."

If you’re okay with an account of yours being deleted, but wish to retain whatever information is on it, you can download your data via the Google Takeout service. There’s also an Inactive Account Manager that gives you control over what happens after a set period of inactivity. 

So, this news may initially cause alarm for many users, but I think it’s a solid step to help curb inappropriate use and potential misuse of user data. That said, I’m sure there are many users of Google, Google devices or Android phones that may have lost access to older accounts, don’t have backups, or may not use those accounts anymore that still hold valuable data or even precious memories. 

If this sounds like you, make sure you log in, perform an action that lets Google know you’re a real person, set up alternative measures to access the account if you haven’t already (check out our guide on why two-factor authentication is important), and if you have the chance, maybe back up whatever data you want to save (for example, using the best back up software). Like now, right now, because December will be upon us before you know it. 

Google Chat is introducing seven new features as it's seemingly shifting focus away from just being a business-centric platform to becoming, maybe, more like WhatsApp.

To be perfectly honest, most of the update consists of pretty basic tools commonly found on similar services where you can talk with friends or family. If anything, this is Google catching up to them. First, users will finally have the ability to edit or delete messages on the app. Doing one or the other works just as it does on other platforms: press and hold the text then make your choice. On the desktop, you simply hover over the message and then select Edit or Delete. Second, you’ll be able to directly quote messages ensuring context isn’t lost in busy group chats. And third, people will be able to hide conversations that have been inactive for at least a week so they can clean up the clutter.

Everything we just mentioned is available now. All you have to do is install the patch once it reaches your smartphone or desktop computer. 

Coming soon

But the company isn’t done yet as it has plans to add even more to Google Chat within the coming weeks. Again, these are basic inclusions, but helpful nonetheless. Read receipts, which are already available for direct messages, will be rolling out to group chats by the end of the month. The profile pictures will be off in the lower right-hand corner. Additionally, the ability to add hyperlinks to text (a feature that surprisingly wasn’t already there to begin with) is going to make its way to Google Chat on the web and Android.

There are also a couple of work-centric features in the patch too. You have the AI-powered Smart Compose, a tool already available on Gmail. When typing a message, the AI will make some “contextually-aware suggestions” to help cut down on grammatical errors. It’s currently rolling out to all web users in five languages, including English and Spanish.

There are plans to introduce third-party app support to Google Chat; however, they’re all business-related like Asana support. We asked Google if streaming services or games would ever come to its platform. Zoom, for instance, has a variety of party games available. This story will be updated if we hear back. 

Analysis: Too much, too soon?

It’s obvious Google is trying to expand Chat to meet all the needs of its users, but the question is why? At first glance, it seemed the company was content with Chat being solely for work purposes. Even the upcoming redesign is better suited for professionals than the everyday user. But this recent update is throwing that business-only focus into question. 

To that end, is it really a good idea to try and compete with WhatsApp, a service with billions of users? Hopefully, these seven features are part of a focused vision for the future of the platform and not just Google needlessly bloating Chat. After all, the tech giant got rid of Hangouts for that very same reason.

If you do think Google Chat is getting a little bloated, there are alternatives out there. Check out TechRadar's guide on the best WhatsApp alternatives for Android and iPhone.

The Google Calendar app for Android has plenty of features to offer and solid integration with other Google Workspace apps. And while planning events through Calendar is easy enough, it’s finally getting a much-needed upgrade.

Google Calendar is adding a share button to events, meaning that event organizers can invite a large number of people at once without having to add each contact’s email address individually. It was first introduced back in March 2023, albeit in an incomplete state, but now we can see how it looks thanks to Twitter user AssembleDebug and reported on by Android Police.

Once you create an event, there will be a Share button under the name and date and when you tap it you can choose from several apps to share the event with platforms like Telegram, WhatsApp, or Discord. Those invited can then choose from Yes, No, and Maybe, with the event link being forwarded to their email IDs.

While we don’t have an official release date for this new feature, it should be coming soon since, judging from the video, it already seems to be in a complete state.

Google Calendar continues to innovate 

Google Calendar is easily one of the best calendar apps on the market. Just in 2023 alone, it’s gotten plenty of great features that truly enhanced the user experience. 

For instance, Google Workspace finally let users without paid accounts create paid booking pages, as well as take appointments or meetings and share their availability through Gmail. Calendar also added a UI update for new location suggestions through Google Maps, which gives you a series of suggestions “based on your recent locations” to make it faster to schedule an appointment. 

And, in a surprise move, Google Calendar and Microsoft Outlook improved their interoperability. This means that Outlook users who also have a Google Calendar with the same email address are now able to receive Google Calendar invitations and RSVPs directly in Outlook without having to be in the Google ecosystem. It’s a Google-wide feature too, so both businesses and individuals can take advantage of it.

I look forward to seeing what kind of quality-of-life updates the Google Calendar app will add in the future – I’m sure the tech giant will think of more. Especially since it’s been dreaming up tons of interesting AI features and tools for Google Workspaces.

If you’re like me, getting an unexpected phone call can be the absolute worst part of your day. There’s no deep reason why, I just don’t really want to use my phone for its original intended purpose. I don’t even like someone I know calling me; spam calls and calls from unknown numbers are the banes of my existence.

I hate hearing my phone ring just to pick it up and be offered a dodgy deal, asked to complete a survey on something I used two years ago, or just listen to an AI-generated voice spout nonsense at me. Thankfully, Meta has introduced a new WhatsApp feature that will (hopefully!) eliminate this problem

The feature announced today will automatically mute incoming calls if they’re from an unknown number. You can enable it via the Privacy section of the Settings of the app, where you’ll find the ‘Silence Unknown Callers’ option. According to the announcement, this will help “screen out spam, scams, and calls from unknown people for increased protection”.

If enabled, incoming calls from unknown random numbers will not have a sound or visual alert; instead, the silenced calls with show up in your recent call list labeled as “silenced unknown caller”, in case you actually want to call them back. The Verge points out that this feature was apparently added after numerous reports of an increase in spam calls, particularly affecting users in India.
 

Take Control of your communication 

In addition to the silence feature, Whatsapp will be adding a new “Privacy Checkup” feature that will inform users about the privacy and security options offered by WhatsApp in a step-by-step way.

The checkup will cover multiple categories that include allowing users to choose who can contact them, adding two-step verification, or requiring biometric authentication to even open WhatsApp.

It's refreshing to see Meta address user concerns swiftly and provide a barrier between me and the calls I don’t want to take. By allowing users to decide - on their terms - who can contact them, Whatsapp can now ensure your chats and call logs aren't full of unnecessary clutter. Spam calls, begone!

WhatsApp is currently rolling out several new features to beta testers across different platforms – chief among them are video messages that will be available exclusively to mobile devices. 

You read that right. On top of sending audio recordings, WhatsApp will soon let you send video messages as well.

The way it currently works on beta, according to WABetaInfo, is users will have to tap the microphone button next to the chat bar where it'll turn into a new camera icon. Pressing that button lets you record a short 60-second clip, which can be shared with a contact for quick communication. 

Once the other person receives the clip, they have to tap the file to enlarge it if they “want to listen to the audio”. Otherwise, it just plays the clip muted. Basically, WhatsApp is working on introducing its version of Snapchat, but unlike Snapchat, it’s unknown if the clips will automatically delete themselves after a certain amount of time has passed or not.

WABetaInfo’s post hints at they will get deleted soon after being sent, though the post also states the videos won’t be sent under view once mode. So there may be some flexibility in how clips are sent. Like a lot of other WhatsApp content, video messages will be protected by the service’s end-to-end encryption ensuring total privacy. Be aware it won’t be possible to forward video messages to other users. They're for your eyes only.

How to download the beta

To try out video messages, Android users will need to install the beta by joining the Google Play Store Beta Program and downloading the latest update. If you don’t get it, keep an eye for future patches. Only a handful of testers have access at this moment, but Meta will reportedly release the feature to more people over the coming weeks. Oh, and your recipients need to be a part of the program too; otherwise, the video messages won’t work.

The beta is available to iPhone users, but the iOS program is closed to new entrants. If you’re not already a part of Apple’s TestFlight service for WhatsApp, you’ll just have to wait for the official launch. 

Coming to Windows

Besides the smartphone update, WhatsApp is also rolling out some new additions to its beta app on Windows. For one, the desktop version is getting screen-sharing for video calls, something that was first seen on Android. From the looks of it, the Windows rendition functions pretty much the same way with the bottom control panel having a new screen-sharing icon. In addition, WhatsApp is introducing a call-back button for quickly returning missed calls – rather small upgrade, but still a helpful one. 

To try out these two features, all you have to do is install WhatsApp Beta from the Microsoft Store. It's that simple. 

Speaking of added convenience, it appears WhatsApp is planning on giving people the ability to have multiple accounts on a single Android device in a similar fashion to Instagram. Be sure to check out TechRadar's coverage on the future update.

On the heels of the official release of Companion Mode — letting you use a single account on up to four devices — comes a report that multi-account support is in the works for the Android app.

Multi-account support “would allow you to switch between profiles on the same device” according to a report from WABetaInfo (via Engadget). This feature should be released for the WhatsApp beta for Android 2.23.13.5 in a future update. It would work in a similar fashion to another Meta-owned social media site Instagram, “with a pop-up at the bottom of your app showing current accounts and the option to add new ones.”

All accounts, both old and new, would be stored on your device and can be logged out of at any point. It seems that this isn’t a business-only feature either, according to WABetaInfo, and if true means that it’ll roll out to all users once out of beta. Currently, there’s no information on a timetable for when that will happen, however.

WhatsApp has been knocking it out of the park lately 

This isn’t the only useful feature WhatsApp has or will be getting, either. One is the aforementioned Companion Mode, which lets you connect up to four phones to one account as well as transfer data over, like chat history, from the account to a new device. Another is the addition of usernames that would be searchable instead of using phone numbers. The Windows WhatsApp client added eight-person video calls, while the desktop app will allow for 32-person calls.

There are also several quality-of-life changes for the app including poll improvements, enhancements to photos or document sharing, transferring chats to another iPhone without having to go via iCloud, and more.

Of course, not all of these updates will be particularly useful or good ideas. For instance, WhatsApp will be introducing Channels, which essentially will work like a Twitter feed. According to the WhatsApp blog post, it will act as a creator tool and is a place to “send texts, photos, videos stickers, and polls,” with plans to build payment and monetization services into the feature in the future.

Though it could be handy for capturing all the Twitter refugees currently fleeing the Elon Musk-owned social media site, this isn’t the purpose of WhatsApp in the first place. It could end up being a social nightmare if Meta isn’t prepared to have proper rules and moderation to enforce those rules as well as general order on Channels.

That said, it’s great to see WhatsApp adding so many excellent features to its application and hopefully we’ll get to see even more.

WhatsApp’s newest feature brings a different vibe to the world’s most popular messaging app, and likely not for the better. It's called Channels, and it's specifically for more-than-necessary broadcasts rather than conversations.

Meta, the company that owns WhatsApp, calls it “a private way to follow what matters” and uses local sports updates as an example of how you might use it. Sound familiar?

Basically, Channels are a Twitter feed. The WhatsApp team has probably taken notice of all the Twitter refugees searching for a new place to share their essential updates, and considers Channels as a quick-fix replacement. This makes sense in a way, as it’s a familiar setup on an app a lot of people use on a daily basis.

Channels act as a creator tool and its a place to “send texts, photos, videos stickers and polls” according to a WhatsApp blog post. The company has plans to build payment and monetization services into the feature. You’ll be able to find channels by searching for them in WhatsApp – as you would on Twitter – or browsing a newly-created directory and seeing updates from the channels you follow in the ‘Status’ section of the app.

The team explains in the blog post that privacy is key to the experience, which is why channel admin information won’t be shared and the app will only store 30 days' worth of channel history. Channel admins can even block screenshots and the sharing of messages or content, keeping what is in the channel private and contained.

The channels won’t be end-to-end encrypted (where only the users communicating can read the messages). Instead, they’re treated more like your messages with businesses on WhatsApp, though Meta does say it’s thinking about ways to encrypt some channels over time. This would be a key selling point of Channels if WhatsApp is looking to tempt brands, government agencies and others looking to move over to the app.

If it's not broken...

The update actually makes sense when you think about it, bringing important information to people like air quality updates, train issues and weather alerts seems a lot more natural on WhatsApp than mashed together with other things like on Twitter. You’d have to scroll through a lot of unnecessary fodder on Twitter before finding an important announcement.

However, there is a joy in using WhatsApp that comes with knowing it’s arguably the most simple and straightforward social media app out there. In the last few months WhatsApp has been dishing out new features that bring it closer to other apps you may have on your phone, like adding usernames to its Android app and introducing polls. In Brazil, you can actually use WhatsApp to shop and pay for things, and in general, it seems like Meta is bloating the messaging app with Facebook-lite features.

Channels won’t come to WhatsApp for a while though, and like most WhatsApp features, it will start small and build up in the coming months. For now, the company is planning to launch Channels with “leading global organizations and select organizations in Colombia and Singapore”, and will roll out elsewhere in the coming months.

WhatsApp has always been a messaging app before anything else, and billions of people use it every day to keep in touch with friends and family, but as it grows and looks to compete and become this all-in-one super app, we hope it does not lose sight of why it’s so popular. 

AI seems to be everywhere at the moment, and Google is building the tech into its products faster than most. Gmail is the latest Google app to get an injection of artificial intelligence, to improve search results on mobile.

"When searching in Gmail, machine learning models will use the search term, most recent emails and other relevant factors to show you the results that best match your search query," Google explains in a blog post (via Android Central).

"These results will now appear at the top of the list in a dedicated section, followed by all results sorted by recency," the post continues. In other words, AI will (in theory) pick out the best matches for your search, and put them at the top of the list.

Years of AI

This is coming to the Gmail apps for Android and iOS, and should be rolling out for everyone now. As yet, there's no word on whether or not the same feature will be making an appearance in the desktop web interface for Gmail.

AI has been built into Gmail for years of course, with features like Smart Reply composing short automated replies for you. In recent months, Google has been pushing more advanced, generative AI as a way of composing your emails.

More AI features are heading to search on the web too, while development on the ChatGPT rival Google Bard continues at a steady pace. We can expect plenty more announcements like this one in the months and years ahead.

Analysis: AI needs to be useful

Google and other tech companies seem to have no qualms about pushing out AI features as quickly as they possibly can at the moment, which is what tends to happen in a competitive, emerging field when several players are trying to get out in front.

However, we'd query just how useful all of this AI is going to end up being. Sure, having the option to generate text messages in the style of Shakespeare is quite fun – but wouldn't most people prefer to use their own words from their own heads when keeping up conversations with friends and family?

Even something like Gmail search isn't a complete win for AI. What are the "relevant factors" that the app is using to pick the top results? Are they reliable? Sometimes it feels like the old manual methods of labels and stars are the best ways to keep on top of thousands of emails taking up room in Gmail.

In an age where we're relying on algorithms for everything from choosing our movie recommendations to writing our books, there's still a lot to be said for human creativity and curation, which might be slower but can be a whole lot more useful and engaging.

There’s a new Gmail scam making the rounds online as bad actors are taking advantage of the service’s recently launched verification system. 

Back at the beginning of May, Google introduced blue checkmark verification in order to combat internet scams like phishing attacks. Companies and organizations can apply to the program to verify their identity, and upon approval, Gmail will display the aforementioned blue checkmark next to the brand logo. What was supposed to be a way to protect people is instead, in some instances, being used to go after them. Cybersecurity engineer Chris Plummer posted on Twitter an image of a spoofed email claiming to officially be from UPS. The scammer apparently somehow got past Google’s own safeguards.

Bug exploit

Identifying the fake email was easy enough to do. Plummer shows the header sporting an email address consisting of mostly random letters and numbers ending in a UPS URL. However, hovering over the checkmark displays a window stating the message is coming from a legitimate source.

It’s unknown how the bad actor got around the security checks. Plummer claims there’s a bug in Gmail that scammers are exploiting to trick the platform’s “authoritative stamp of approval”. From there, the bad actors hop through multiple domains before zeroing in on their target.

Initially, when he reported the problem to Google, the company reportedly hand-waved it away saying the system was working as intended. But in the days since Plummer’s discovery, the tech giant made an about-face and announced it is currently working on a fix.

How to not get scammed

Since we don’t know when the patch will roll out, it makes sense to protect yourself until then. TechRadar has a couple of guides on how to avoid online phishing scams and how to protect your inbox. We strongly recommend reading both to get a full understanding, but here are some pieces of advice to get you started.

First, double-check the header. If you see a bunch of random letters, numbers, and symbols in the email address, that’s your first clue that something is fishy.

Secondly, double-check the spelling in the header. Some scammers will replace certain characters with a lookalike to trick people. For example, the letter “O” will be replaced with the number “0” or the capital “I” with a lowercase “l” (that's an "L"). Gmail’s default font can make this tough to discern. 

Be wary of any emails urging you to share your financial information, whether updating your account details or a refund offer you didn’t ask for. 

Of course, don’t click on any links or attachments you don’t recognize.

Also, be sure to check out TechRadar’s list of the best identity theft protection apps for June 2023 to better safeguard your personal details. 

WhatsApp has been no stranger to phone-breaking bugs and security breaches over the years, with the latest one yet again causing the app to crash your phone.

There’s a link going around the Android version of WhatsApp (wa.me/settings) that, if clicked on, will cause your phone to crash as soon as you open a group or individual chat containing it. The actual trigger is as simple as opening a chat with the link, though thankfully the app restarts normally after that, unless you happen to open that message thread again.

The offending link sends you to the app’s settings page, which makes it even more malicious for those used to the shortcut. Twitter user BruteBee previously reported on this issue, which was first discovered and extensively covered by PandyaMayur, while Android Authority confirmed that version 2.23.10.77 of the app is currently the one impacted, though it’s still unknown whether other versions have experienced this bugged link as of now.

It’s similar to previous bugs in which an otherwise innocuous link or image hides a malicious feature that wreaks havoc on your phone and results in it crashing. Back in 2018, there were at least two of these, one being the infamous black dot in the center of a WhatsApp message that crashed phones and the other a random Telugu language character in messages that crashed iOS phones. And in 2020 there was another set of text bombs or 'crash codes' that resulted in a crash loop.

The cause for this issue is most likely how WhatsApp resolves the URL for the shortened link. And while there’s no official fix for the bug just yet, Android Police reports of a workaround for the bugged link until WhatsApp officially does push a patch down. It seems that WhatsApp Web is immune to the link’s effects, so if you find yourself a victim of constant phone crashes, log into your account through your browser and delete the message with the link.

Technically this means that you can also send the link safely through WhatsApp Web, though it’s probably not wise to do so until the bug is completely fixed. Hopefully, that patch will be coming in soon.

Update: Meta has since responded, stating that this is an issue it previously addressed through its official WhatsApp Twitter account. According to a statement from Meta, "This is a bug on Android’s end with their Privacy Dashboard tool and it only made it appear as though users’ microphones were being accessed – it was not actually accessed."

Google also addressed the issue, acknowledging that this bug is on Google's end as well. According to a statement from the tech giant: “Based on our current investigation, this reported bug in Android affecting WhatsApp users produces incorrect privacy indicators and notifications in the Privacy Dashboard. We are working to develop a fix for users.”

This article has been corrected to reflect the original discoverer of the WhatsApp bug, which was Twitter user PandyaMayur.

Like Apple’s FaceTime, Zoom, and Microsoft Teams before it, WhatsApp may soon allow its users to share their screen with others during a video call.

This info comes from WABetaInfo who discovered the upcoming feature after digging through the files of the latest Android beta. According to a recent report, a new icon is set to appear at the bottom of a video call in the call control view. Tapping it will “share your screen” with the other person and “everything displayed… will be recorded”. Of course, you can end the transmission at any time by revoking permission.

There are some requirements that must be met first before anyone can try out screen-sharing. WABetaInfo states the “feature may be unavailable on old versions of Android”, plus the recipient cannot have “an outdated version of WhatsApp.” It’s also possible screen-sharing will not work in large group calls. It’s hard to say for sure what exactly are the limitations for this update since it hasn’t even been officially released. Recall that this is only a beta so there’s still some work left to be done.

If you want to try out screen-sharing yourself, you’ll need to first join the Google Play Beta Program and then install the beta from the platform. Screen-sharing is only available to a few testers at this point, but it will be rolling out to more people “over the coming days.”

iOS changes

It’s unknown if this feature will make its way to iPhones, especially since FaceTime with screen-sharing already exists (although it is possible). What is arriving to WhatsApp on iOS is Companion Mode, which will allow people to link their account on up to “four devices simultaneously” while “maintaining the same level of privacy”. Meta hasn't made a formal announcement of the new mode, but WABetaInfo does say the patch is officially available from the App Store. 

Connecting phones seems pretty simple from the looks of it. All you have to do is scan a QR Code on one iPhone with WhatsApp open on the other iOS device you want to link. “Chat history will safely be synchronized across” all connected smartphones. Similar to screen-sharing on Android, Companion Mode may not be available upon download; however, the changelog on the App Store listing states the update will release “over the coming weeks.” Be sure to keep an eye out for the patch once it reaches you.

All throughout May, Meta has been pumping out WhatsApp updates like they’re going out of style. It’s been a pretty active month for the platform. Be sure to check out TechRadar’s coverage of these other changes like message editing and the new Chat Lock. 

WhatsApp has been in a real groove lately, consistently pumping out new feature after new feature since March. This time, the platform is rumored to be working on adding usernames to its Android app.

This information comes from WABetaInfo, which dug into the files of the latest Android beta where it discovered the update will be in the settings menu under an account’s Profile page. It appears you will be able to give yourself a unique moniker by tapping the pencil icon and then entering a name. Pretty simple stuff. WABetaInfo was also able to confirm “conversations initiated through usernames will still be protected by end-to-end encryption.” 

Beyond the few confirmations, very little is unknown about the feature. It is still in development although WABetaInfo does posit it could be used as “another layer of privacy”. Instead of having a phone number for all the world to see, you can hide it with a username. Plus, they can make it easier to identify and locate other people. No need to remember a phone number. This could be very useful in a WhatsApp Community which can be a verifiable sea of numbers since they can house over 1,000 members.

But, it's speculation at this point. We’ll just have to wait until Meta releases a more stable beta version of the feature to get some answers. Either way, this is definitely something to look forward to once it officially launches. 

Privacy focused

The latest beta is available for download from the Google Play Beta Program. While you won’t be able to create a unique username, you can check out the new group settings menu. The interface has been redesigned to be clearer and more intuitive. We don’t know if WhatsApp usernames will make their way to the iOS app. However, Meta is pretty good at making sure both sides of the mobile spectrum get the same update  –  even if it does take a while.

Privacy updates have been a major focus for WhatsApp this past month. Back at the beginning of May, Meta announced it was partnering up with Truecaller to stop spam calls from reaching users on its communications platform. For more personal control, the company also recently launched Chat Lock to keep your conversations away from prying eyes.

If you want to take your privacy protection to the next level, you may want to invest in a brand-new phone instead of just solely relying on software. Be sure to check out TechRadar’s list of the best secure phones for May 2023 for some recommendations.

WhatsApp is saving you from those awkward spelling mistakes and missing commas by giving you the power to edit messages - within limits. 

We first saw inklings of this update in a late March beta. The feature didn’t work at the time, but there were some clues hinting at how it would function. From the looks of things, not much has changed since then.

To fix a text, Meta states you need to first long-press a sent message and then select Edit from the menu that appears. Users have 15 minutes to make their corrections. Texts cannot be changed past the time limit, forcing you to live with the typos you made (or you can just send a new text).

Messages that have been altered will display ‘Edited’ right next to them, making it clear to others in a chat that some corrections have been made. It all works similarly to iMessage editing on iOS 16. WhatsApp, however, will not save any sort of edit history, meaning others won’t be able to see previous versions of texts.

Editable messages are currently “rolling out to users globally and will be available to everyone in the coming weeks” so keep an eye out for the new patch. We asked Meta if there are any other restrictions. For example, on iOS 16 users can only make up to five edits to a text within a 15-minute window. This story will be updated at a later time.

A very busy month

WhatsApp has had quite a busy month as the platform has seen multiple updates in a short amount of time. Just last week, the app gained a Chat Lock tool, ensuring your private conversation stays private which can be useful if you’re using a shared phone. Before that, we saw the introduction of single-vote polls “to stop people from skewing [results] with multiple votes.”

As for the near future, it appears Meta will soon launch a “password reminder feature for end-to-end encrypted backups”, according to a recent post from WABetaInfo. The app will ask you to verify the password so you’ll always have access to the backup in the event you forget your login credentials. This particular update will be rolling out to both Android and iOS “over the coming weeks.”

Following in the wake of Elon Musk’s announcement that Twitter will start purging inactive accounts, Google has said that it will be doing the same for old Gmail accounts. Thankfully, however, it’s much clearer about which accounts will be classified as inactive, and when account deletions will begin.

In a post on its Keyword blog, Google explains that its main reason for deleting inactive accounts is that the move should help keep users safer from hijacking and scams. Based on its internal analysis, Google says that abandoned accounts are over 10 times less likely to have 2-step verification set up compared with active accounts. The move will also mean that Google isn’t unnecessarily retaining personal data.

Considering Google accounts allow you to do more than simply check emails and remember all your YouTube subscriptions – you can use them as a password manager and to log into a huge range of third-party services – you likely have an old account or two that you don’t want to be deleted.

The good news for those of you that have an account you’ve not used in a while is that Google won’t enact its new policies right away. As per the announcement, the earliest it’ll begin deleting accounts is December 2023; so you have until at least then to log in to the account to save it from Google’s purge.

What’s more, before an account is deleted Google says it will send multiple notifications over the months leading up to the account being wiped – both to the email itself and its recovery email address if one has been provided. It’s not likely Google will flip a switch one day without warning.

How can I stop Google from deleting my account? 

At a minimum, for Google to consider an account active you have to log in to it at least once every 2 years. Additionally, Google will consider an account active if you do actions like check or send emails, access Google Drive, or watch a YouTube video while logged into the account.

Additionally, if you have an active subscription set up through your Google account – such as Google One, or one to a third-party news publication or an app like one of the best streaming services – Google will also consider your account active.

Lastly, if the account is set up for an organization like a school or business it won’t be affected by the change – Google won’t be automatically deleting these kinds of accounts.

If you have multiple Google accounts, we’d recommend setting it up so that your most-used address is the recovery email for accounts you don’t use frequently. That way if you do forget to keep an account active you should see Google’s warning messages that’ll remind you to use it before it’s gone forever.

• Google I/O 2023 as it happened: Pixel Fold, 7a, Tablet, Bard and more

WhatsApp is currently rolling out a new Chat Lock feature that will ensure your private conversations stay that way.

The Chat Lock update takes chat threads and places them behind their own locked folder which can only be accessed via your device’s own password or biometrics. Additionally, the content of those conversations will be hidden in your notifications so nosy people can't see what you're talking about.

Meta states in the announcement post that Chat Lock is ideal for people who share an unlocked smartphone with family, or, as shown in the official trailer, have their device stolen by their annoying, little brother. 

To enable the protection, all you have to do is tap the name of the chat and select the locking option. To reveal those chats, “pull down on your inbox” then enter your password or biometric in order to unlock them. Pretty simple stuff.

There are plans to expand Chat Lock options “over the next few months”. Meta states it’ll be possible to lock your conversations on companion devices. Plus, users will soon be able to create custom passwords for the chat that differ from the ones on their smartphones.

As for the launch, the post doesn’t say whether or not this is a global rollout nor does it mention anything about being able to use Face ID to unlock chats. We reached out to Meta for clarification. This story will be updated if we hear back. 

Room for improvement

Chat Lock joins WhatsApp’s long list of security features from Device Verification to end-to-end encryption and two-factor authentication, but that doesn’t mean things are perfect. There's always room for improvement as every now and again something goes wrong.

In this instance, we’re specifically referring to a recently discovered bug that allows WhatsApp to continuously use a phone’s microphone even if the app is closed. This was first discovered by a Twitter engineer who posted a screenshot of the app using the mic at least nine times in the early morning of May 6. 

Meta is aware of this but claims it isn’t their fault. Instead, the official WhatsApp Twitter account points the finger at Google, claiming there’s a bug in the Privacy Dashboard on Android. Regardless of whose fault it is, we do recommend turning off your microphone through your device’s settings menu to ensure complete privacy. 

But if that doesn’t satisfy you, check out TechRadar’s list of the best-encrypted messaging apps of 2023 for alternatives. 

Google's annual show, Google I/O has me more than a little worried. Why? Because my USP as a journalist is, well (*kicks imaginary stone along the floor*) kinda having a way with words, and it seems that this particular skill is becoming obsolete. 

Help Me Write is here now – or it will be soon enough. The just-unveiled feature uses Google's updated generative AI, but is also built on the 2017 Smart Reply (those short "sounds great, thanks!" responses you can select with just a click within Gmail) then Smart Compose, which has led to the sorcery we're seeing today. 

Picture the scene: your flight got canceled and the airline is more than willing to offer you a voucher, but there's been no sniff of a refund in the communication. Oh, no no no, big airline company! I can already feel my fingers start to twitch, ready to dance across my MacBook Pro keyboard. 

Only, now it seems my effort – OK I'll admit it, my thinly veiled joy – is surplus to requirements. No need. Google's got this. Have a little scroll through the gallery below. 

As you can see, simply by typing "ask for a refund for this canceled flight" in the text box (which opens up when you click the little magic wand icon), Google is more than willing to do the rest. You've written eight words; you're about to get an email opus – and it'll even conveniently pull in useful info (flight details, times) from previous correspondence! 

Oh, and if you think Google's response is either too blunt or not blunt enough, go ahead and refine it by selecting between "formalize", "elaborate", "shorten" or "I'm feeling lucky" and it'll make you sound more polite or angry, depending on how you want to come across. Grammarly, eat your heart out. 

Opinion: Google claims it focuses on boosting our creativity, but surely this renders creative thought pointless 

Why agonize over "best", "kind regards" or "yours faithfully" ever again? Google went with "sincerely" in the email above and I'm sure there's not a child of sixth-grade age in the world that would go against the massive search engine and work suite. 

In its I/O keynote, Google claimed the second pillar of its ethos when designing and devising all of this was to "boost creativity and productivity" but I'd argue that here, human creation, production, consideration and thought has been all but canceled – you don't need it. 

That's far from the end of the story. Google is using AI within its workspace to generate job ads, children's stories, haikus and more. While I appreciate the innovation, I can't help feeling it's all too easy. I actually like flexing my writing muscles. I think children and young people need to learn interactive skills such as written politeness rather than having it auto-generated for them. 

Help Me Write will start rolling out as part of Google's Workspace updates, and although I personally will choose not to use it or to use it very sparingly, I do worry about stifling any budding talent or aptitude for writing in generations younger than me. 

I can hear the conversations between myself and my sister as teenagers, replying to a part-time waitressing job advert on Friday afternoon after another trying day in retail. A teenage 2023 me might say, "Why are you wasting time? Just do it in Help Me Write and let's go!" 

As it is, I have had to actively think, mull over and carefully select the words, phrases, wording, cadence, and prose I've been putting out into the world for some time – I still do. And I just don't think I'd be up to snuff as a writer if I'd had 20 years of auto-generation. 

Elon Musk, the billionaire owner of Twitter, has been throwing a lot of features at the social media site after spending a whopping $44bn for it last year. But despite hinting at producing “Twitter 2.0 The Everything App,” his latest idea seems very similar to WhatsApp, the popular instant messaging app from Twitter’s biggest social media competitor, Meta (the company behind Facebook).

As Reuters reports, Musk announced in a Tweet that “coming soon will be voice and video chat from your handle to anyone on this platform, so you can talk to people anywhere in the world without giving them your phone number.”

Being able to make video and voice calls via Twitter is certainly an interesting development, aligning it more closely with the likes of WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger, which offer those features as well.

In the above tweet, Musk also announced that direct messages (DMs) will now be encrypted, and promised that the feature will “grow in sophistication rapidly.”

Keep it secret, keep it safe

Encrypted messaging means that any private messages you send to someone will remain private, so Twitter employees, governments, law enforcement agencies or malicious users cannot gain access to them.

WhatsApp also offers encrypted messaging, and it is often touted as one of the main benefits of the app. Privacy and freedom of speech campaigners have welcomed this announcement, and there are clear benefits, especially for people living and working in oppressive regimes.

Some people say, however, that encrypting messages can allow illegal activity to flourish. This is an argument often used by governments, and has led to rather frosty relationships between certain regimes and Meta over WhatsApp’s encryption.

By also adding encryption to Twitter, Musk risks raising the ire of governments as well, but as someone who fancies themselves as somewhat of an antiauthoritarian, this probably won’t concern Musk too much.

What should be of concern, however, is that with recent controversies such as removing legacy Blue Checks and a rise of extreme rhetoric from some users that has led to an exodus of advertisers (according to various sources, including Reuters), there is a sense that Twitter could be losing relevance. Announcing a few new features that rivals are already offering just won’t cut it. If Twitter is to survive, Musk’s Twitter 2.0 plans need to be more ambitious – but that is also a scary prospect.

Do you like ads in your Gmail account? No? Well, too bad because it looks like we’re going to get even more. Screenshots from across the internet show users getting way more ads than usual on Gmail for desktop and mobile.

Advertisements are nothing new to Gmail, but they’re normally tucked away at the top of the Promotions and Social tabs where they can be easily ignored. The new placement, however, changes all that, integrating ads in between actual emails. 

As a result, it’s much harder to tell the difference between the two at a glance even if they have an Ad icon signifying them as such. 

Intrusive ads

Looking at screenshots on Twitter, there doesn't appear to be any specific targeting behind the ads. It appears to be all at random. One user showed he had ads from Edible Arrangements and a job listing from the U.S. Border Patrol. Another had a combination of Amazon and KFC. The intrusiveness is also pretty egregious on smartphones as some have gotten images alongside the ads taking up even more space.

It is worth pointing out that this Zerg Rush of advertisements isn’t affecting every single user. Personally, we didn’t see any changes on Gmail for desktop. Everything was business as usual. We did, however, see more ads than usual in the Promotions on the mobile version, although there were no extra images.

Benefit of the doubt

Now, to be fair to Google, it’s possible none of this is being done on purpose. In a response to an upset user, the official Gmail account on Twitter said the sudden influx of ads doesn’t “sound good” and asked them to send feedback via the Gmail Help tool. There also have been instances this year where bad actors would hijack the Google Ads network to push adult content to “unsuspecting victims”. In one instance, hackers were so bold to push malware onto people.

On the other hand, it’s not like Google is innocent either. 80 percent of the company’s revenue comes from digital ads, according to The Guardian. So the tech giant has more than enough reason to create new ways for businesses to advertise. In a recent report, The Financial Times “claims to have seen an internal presentation” where the tech giant aims to use generative AI to create original advertisements drawing “from those already created by human hands.” 

We would love to give Google the benefit of the doubt that this is another hijacking or some internal accident and not the start of another advertising program. At the time of this writing, the only official word we’ve heard so far is the tweet from earlier. So, we asked Google if they would like to make a statement about these ads appearing inside Gmail accounts. We’ll update this story if we hear back.

Be sure to check out TechRadar’s recently updated list on the best ad blocker of 2023. We have a feeling you might need one.  

Update 5-11-23: Responding to the recent controversy, a Google spokesperson gave us the following statement: "We are always experimenting with formats and working on ways to help people discover and connect with new businesses. The Promotions tab shows promotional emails from businesses that people subscribe to, as well as offer and feal from companies people might like. We rolled out instream ads in the Promotions tab last year across mobile and in the past month expanded to desktop as well." So, it appears Google is trying out a new way to serve ads by expanding current systems. Whether or not these instream ads will stick around long term remains to be seen. That same spokesperson also told us users can "change their ad personalization preferences" through the My Ad Center website.

WhatsApp is so easy to use that it's managed to become the messaging mainstay for most families, but it's still possible to run into the odd quirk or frustration. Fortunately, the app is in the process of fixing three of those annoyances with some new updates.

The first two refinements are coming in an iOS and Android update that has started rolling out globally and will be "available to everyone in the coming weeks". To get these boosts to polls and sharing photos, you'll need to wait for new version to arrive or check your app store for the latest update.

WhatsApp's poll improvements are particularly handy for social organizing. You can now create single-vote polls, to stop people from skewing the results with multiple votes. To do that, you'll just need to un-toggle the 'allow multiple answers' option when creating a poll.

If you've ever had trouble finding a poll in a chat, you'll be pleased to hear that you can also now search for polls in your chats with the new update. On the 'Chats' screen, just tap the search box and you'll now see 'Polls' in the list of results. Lastly, you'll also now get notifications when people vote on your polls and will be shown how many people have voted in total.

Outside Polls, the second big usability improvement is coming to the process of sharing photos or documents. Previously, forwarding photos or images to another group came with the potential issue of someone else responding before you had a chance to add some crucial context.

Fortunately, you'll now be able to add captions to photos and videos when you forward them, and also edit existing captions that are tied to images that you're sharing. It's the same deal with sharing documents, which now give you the option of adding a witty or insightful caption when before you send them on.

While these two updates are surprisingly big quality-of-life upgrades for WhatsApp users, a third upgrade – which could let you transfer your chat history to another iPhone without needing to use iCloud – could be even more useful when it comes out of beta.

Simpler chat backups are coming

A report from WABetaInfo has revealed that WhatsApp has made a handy new feature available to some beta testers that lets them transfer chats to another iPhone without having to go via iCloud.

This is particularly useful for those who don't pay for extra iCloud storage beyond the free 5GB limit. That limit can prohibit you from transferring lengthy chat histories to a new iPhone, but this new method could get around that by letting you do the transfer within WhatsApp.

Apparently, the process will be as simple as registering on WhatsApp with your usual phone number, then using your old phone to scan the QR code shown on your new phone in order to transfer your chat history. There'll also be a similar feature available for Android fans who don't want to transfer their chats via Google Drive.

Unfortunately, right now this feature is currently only available to WhatsApp beta testers on iOS and Android, and this beta program is currently closed to new testers. On Android, you can check to see which beta testing programs are available by going to the Play Store, tapping your profile icon in the top right, tapping 'Manage apps and devices installed', and then tapping an app to see if it has a 'join the beta' option.

Still, beta features do frequently get rolled out to the full version of WhatsApp, so this is one we're hoping to see in a full release in the coming months.

Starting from May 3, you can log into your Google Account with a passkey instead of a traditional password.

There’s been a fair amount of hype surrounding passkeys as the next evolution for online security. For starters, the tech utilizes either a simple PIN or biometric credentials for signing into accounts making them more convenient to use than a lengthy password. And because passkeys use a very personal type of authorization, hackers will have a harder time gaining access to your data. Two-factor authentication may even become a thing of the past thanks to this new security method.

You can create your own Google Account passkeys for free and doing so is actually quite simple.

Quick steps for how to set up a new passkey for your Google account

• Go to Google's Passkeys website
• Select Use Passkeys
• Log into your account
• Connect either your phone or computer's login PIN

Step-by-step guide for how to set up a new passkey for your Google account

• First, head over to g.co/passkeys and sign in to your Google Account with your password. 

• Select Use passkeys on the following page. Now you're able to use your biometric data or lock screen PIN as passkeys.

• Sign into your account again. A message will appear asking you for your PIN or biometrics. 

• Clicking Continue will make a QR code appear.

• Scan the QR code with your mobile device and allow Google to connect to your phone.

• Next time you sign in via passkey, Google will send a notification to your device where you can use your biometric credentials.

• You can also create a new passkey if you like by selecting Create a passkey in the Passkeys setup menu. 

• Select Continue to create a passkey using your computer's lock screen PIN.

• Enter your lock screen PIN to set it as a passkey.

• If you want to include a new phone, select Use another device. Google will ask you to scan QR code with the other device as shown earlier.

You can still use your old password to sign into your account. Google isn’t getting rid of those as adjusting to this new standard will take some time. The company doesn't want to throw out everything at once. Later down the line, administrators of Google Workspace accounts will be able to “enable passkeys for their end-users during sign-in.”

Other options

It’s unknown if Google will ever get rid of passwords on its various platforms. However, one thing is certain: the tech industry as a whole is moving beyond them as alternatives are cropping up. 

Dashlane, for example, recently announced its new Passwordless Login feature, allowing its user base to replace their master password with either a PIN or biometrics. This sounds similar to passkeys, but it isn’t. Passkeys were developed by the FIDO Alliance, an organization backed by the likes of Google and Apple.

In an interview with The Verge, Dashlane CPO Donald Hasson said passkeys have the drawback of “being usable only within the ecosystem it was initially stored in”. Passwordless Login and the technology behind are more flexible in this regard.

Speaking of other options, check out TechRadar’s recommendation for the best password manager to keep your private information safe.

WhatsApp is one of the most well-known and widely used messaging applications and voice chat apps around the globe. 

With over 2 billion users throughout Latin America, India, and large parts of Europe and Africa, what's app is one of the best encrypted messenging apps for Android and iPhone. WhatsApp is mainly used to send text messages, images, and files, as well as to make voice and video calls. But there are plenty of other settings that you can customize, like changing your background image.

Many users know about the online status near your name that shows whether you’re online and active on the app. But it’s less known that you can hide your online status as well if you’d rather not be bothered by your contacts or want to use WhatsApp privately. And thankfully, it’s a simple process to change or hide that online status, which will also hide the “last seen” status that normally tells your contacts the last time you used the app.

Like most changes to WhatsApp settings, you’ll need to access your Settings menu and then choose from the various options what you want to customize or change. After that, you simply follow the remaining steps, which are both the same whether using Android or iPhone. This guide will show you how to hide your online status on the best Android phones or the best iPhones, both the easiest and more complicated methods.

Steps for how to hide online status on WhatsApp

• Go to More Options and Settings
• Tap Privacy then Last Seen
• Change the options from there

Step by step guide for Android

Go to the three dots at the top right of the screen for ‘More Options’ 

Tap Settings 

Tap Privacy

Tap Last Seen and online

Under ‘who can see my last seen’ choose Nobody and under ‘who can see when I'm online choose Same as last seen

Step by step guide for iPhone

• Go to Settings and Tap Privacy

• Tap Last Seen

• Under ‘who can see my last seen’ choose Nobody and under ‘who can see when I'm online’ choose Same as last seen

Final thoughts

There are alternative ways to prevent contacts from seeing your online status. Go to the Settings menu, tap Account, then Privacy. But instead of going to Last Seen, tap Status and then My contacts except… and choose the contacts you want to keep from seeing your status.

Another method you can use to avoid having online status and last seen shown on WhatsApp is through using your phone’s Airplane mode. Activate Airplane mode, then launch WhatsApp and choose the contact you want to message. Write and send the message, which will actually not go through but instead stay in a state of non-delivery. Close the app, then disable Airplane mode. Once the mobile data or internet connection turns on again, the message will send without revealing your online status or last seen.

While both online status and last seen are useful tools to let you know if and when someone is available to chat, sometimes you simply want privacy and discretion while using WhatsApp. Being able to hide your status is a great way to give you that sense of privacy, and the best part is that it’s not permanent.

WhatsApp is one of the most widely used message applications and voice chat apps in the world, with over 2 billion users across Latin America, India, and large swathes of Europe and Africa. Though the primary use for WhatsApp is to send text messages, share images and files, and make voice chats, it also makes for an excellent video call application.

Being able to video chat is nearly as important as making voice calls, as it’s a wonderful thing to see your loved ones and friends as you chat with them. Through video calls, both callers can also share life updates like vacations, new family members, changes in living situations, engagements, cute babies, and more. And the best part is that making video calls is a simple process that most people can easily learn.

The first step is simple and one that you perform every time you use the app. You just go to the chat that you want to make the video call from. Then, follow the steps below. 

WhatsApp works the same on every system. This guide will teach everyone how to make a video call, whether you use the best Android phones, the best iPhone, or the best laptop, leaving no one out.

Steps for how to use make a video call on WhatsApp

• Go into the chat of the person you’re calling
• Tap Video call
• Or tap Calls from the main menu and then New call

Step by step guide for Android

Go to the WhatsApp chat with the contact you want to video call

Press Video call, with the camera icon

You can also open WhatsApp, then hit New call, choose the contact to video chat, then press Video call 

If you’re receiving a video call, swipe to either Accept or Decline the call 

Step by step guide for iPhone

• Go to the WhatsApp chat that has the contact you want to video call
• Press Video call, with the camera icon
• You can also open WhatsApp, then hit New call, choose the contact to video chat, then press Video call
• If you’re receiving a video call, slide the notification to the left, then tap View and either Accept or Decline

Step by step guide for desktop

Make sure your internet connection is active 

Make sure WhatsApp has access to your microphone and camera 

Choose the chat with the contact you want to video call 

Click on the Video call icon 

If you’re receiving a video call, click to Accept, Decline, or Ignore the call 

Final thoughts

To switch from a voice to a video call for Android and iPhone, tap Video call and then Switch. The other caller will receive a prompt asking them if they want to accept or decline the switch. 

If you want to switch from a video to a voice call for Android and iPhone, tap Video off and the other caller will have the option to do the same. 

If you’re using a desktop computer instead, simply toggle between voice and video by pressing the Camera icon.

Being able to video call is an important feature that connects people between multiple countries and timezones. You can finally put a face to the voice of people you’ve just met, or see the faces of loved ones and friends who you’ve been away from for a while. 

The best part is that the service is free, requiring only a good internet connection or data plan. Keep in mind that the strength of the call is based on the weakest connection, so make sure yours is solid.

A nasty new Gmail scam appears to be doing the rounds, with some users finding emails with the subject line “Online Reward Program” landing in their inboxes – but as with most unsolicited emails, it’s too good to be true.

Despite claiming that the email is from Google and that the recipient has won a prize due to being the person to make the 18.25 billionth search on its search engine, the email is not legitimate.

Users are asked to click on a link to claim their prize, which takes them to a web page asking them to enter personal details. There’s no prize – Google doesn’t offer rewards to people using its search engine – and instead, the victim’s personal information is stolen.

How to avoid email scams

Sadly, email scams like this are commonplace – and they don’t just target Gmail users. No matter what email provider you use, there’s a chance that at some point a scam or spam email could land in your inbox.

However, we’ve got some easy tips to help make sure you don’t fall victim to these kinds of email scams:

Whatsapp is finally adding one of its most sought-after features – you’ll soon be able to sign into the same account on multiple phones.

Previously, if you were logged into WhatsApp (one of the world's best encrypted messaging apps) on one phone, and wanted to log into a new phone, you'd be signed out on the old device. There were workarounds using WhatsApp Web – as you could sign in to WhatsApp on a browser without being signed out in the mobile app – but the experience was subpar.

Now, thankfully, Meta has announced that the app will support you signing into your account on multiple smartphones. Best of all, you’ll still be able to benefit from WhatsApp’s end-to-end encryption on private messages even if you turn on the new multi-device feature, and you’ll be able to share your account across Android and iOS phones.

There are plenty of reasons why you might want to log into WhatsApp on multiple smartphones. Businesses that use the app to communicate with customers may want to give multiple people access to the account across several devices, or maybe you own multiple phones (you might like having a few phones, or you have a work phone and your own handset) and you want to easily switch between them.

This update should be headed your way soon, with Meta saying that it should roll out to everyone over the coming weeks.

How to sign into WhatsApp on multiple phones 

To take advantage of the new feature you’ll need to set up WhatsApp on one smartphone, then download the app on a second device. When you open the app and start the setup process, rather than entering your phone number and other details you need to tap 'Link to existing account'.

This will generate a QR code. On your original device, open up WhatsApp’s settings and go to the Link a device option. Scan the QR code, and you should now be logged in on both phones.

The only thing to note is that the phone you first signed into will be considered your primary device for WhatsApp. You won’t need to keep it switched on, nor do you need to keep it near your other devices for them to receive messages, as is the case with a smartwatch, but if you don’t use WhatsApp on the primary device at least once every 14 days you’ll be signed out on your secondary device or devices.

This new multi-device feature joins a slew of other handy features added to WhatsApp so far this year, including longer group chat names and WhatsApp contact editing.

WhatsApp is one of the most widely used instant messenger and voice chat apps in the world, with more than 2 billion users worldwide and the primary messenger used in regions like Latin America, India, and large swathes of Europe and Africa. And while it’s capable of not only sending text messages, images, voice calls, files, user locations, and more between users, a less-known feature is the ability to change your background.

While it’s not as an important feature as the many ways to communicate with others around the world, being able to change your background along with your profile information and picture is a great way to customize your page. This is especially important since it makes finding your profile much easier among everyone else who shares your name. Another great thing is that it’s quite a simple process once you learn it, which means you could change your background in mere minutes.

Though WhatsApp is well known for its simple green user interface, changing your background is another way to add a bit of color to an otherwise standardized look. It creates a visual touch that can brighten your own app’s appearance. If you’re interested in learning more, this guide will teach you how to change your background, both for the best Android phones and the best iPhone, leaving no one out.

Steps for how to change your WhatsApp background

•  Go to the Chats, then the Wallpaper option
•  Choose Change or Choose Light/Dark Mode Wallpaper
•  Select the image you want and then set it

Step-by-step guide for Android

Select the three dots at the top right corner for More Options

Select Settings from the drop-down menu

Select Chats

Select Wallpaper

Depending on whether you have Light or Dark Theme enabled, it’ll show themes corresponding to that. If you want to switch between either or, you’ll need to change that option in the Settings, then Theme menu.

Select Change (in this case it's for the Dark Theme Wallpaper)

From that menu, select the image you want to use

Select Set Wallpaper

If you want to set Wallpaper for individual chats, select that chat first then follow steps 1-8

Step-by-step guide for iPhone

• Select Settings, then Chats, then Chat Wallpaper
• Select either Choose Light Mode Wallpaper or Dark Mode Wallpaper
• From that menu, select the image you want to use
• Select Set
• If you want to set Wallpaper for individual chats, select the chat first, then select the contact or group name, then Wallpaper & Sound, then Choose a New Wallpaper, and follow steps 2-4

Final thoughts

Remember that if you’re using one visual mode and want to switch to another, you first need to go to More Options, Settings, and then Theme. From there you can switch between Light and Dark Mode, which will affect how wallpapers look in WhatsApp. Of course, you can choose your own images that look the same regardless of which mode you choose.

And each chat can have its own wallpaper instead of choosing one that applies to all of them. This is handy if you want to create chats with different themes or topics, or if you want an easy way to differentiate between each of your contacts. Being able to customize chat backgrounds is a simple yet useful tool, with many applications.

WhatsApp is giving users a chance to hold onto Disappearing Messages just a bit longer with the new Keep in Chat tool.

The way it works is pretty simple. First, select the text with the important piece of information. Then tap the bookmark icon in the app’s top bar to save said message. The feature works with plain text as well as voice notes, according to a post on WhatsApp. Saved messages will sport the bookmark icon so you don't forget. You can also check the Kept Messages folder in the Settings menu which organizes everything by chat.

However, there’s a catch: you must have the consent of the person who sent the message in the first place. When you attempt to save something, the sender will get a notification informing them the recipient in the chat wants to keep the message. WhatsApp states the sender has final say. If they veto your request, there’s nothing you can do. The message will then “be deleted when the timer expires.”

Flexible messaging

You may think this update is rather strange as it appears to undermine the very concept of Disappearing Messages. Meta has been tweaking the feature to have texts last longer in chats since its launch back in 2021. The maximum amount of time before deletion is 90 days. Meta states in the announcement that Keep in Chat offers better “flexibility to keep the messages [people] need.” Of course, you can always screenshot the messages to keep them permanently, but maybe your on-device folder is a rat’s nest of random images making finding the right image a real chore. This update can help you organize things.

Keep in Chat “will roll out globally" over the coming weeks.

Speaking of texts, files discovered in a WhatsApp iOS beta from late March revealed Meta is working on finally allowing users a way to edit messages. So someday iPhone owners may be able to undo those embarrassing typos. It’s unknown exactly when the editing tool will launch since the feature is apparently still in development, but it is something to look forward to if it happens. Android owners, on the other hand, do have a beta readily available to them adding a new way to edit their contacts list. It’s available for download via the Google Play Store.

Be sure to check out TechRadar’s recently updated list of the best smartphone deals for April 2023 if you’re looking for something new on which to run the latest version of WhatsApp.

Discord, the popular text and video chat site, is fixing one of its biggest problems: it finally increased the file upload size limit. 

All users, whether Discord non-Nitro or Nitro Basic subscribers, can now send files and images up to 25MB, which is a huge bump up from the paltry 8MB that non-paying users were stuck with for years. The announcement was made through Discord’s official Twitter account on April 10 and is effective immediately for all Discord users to enjoy.

It’s a smart move, considering that the quality of life change will affect Discord's 196 million and growing user base. Several years ago an 8MB file upload limit was more than adequate, but as image and file sizes have grown rapidly over time, this change was long overdue.

And if you need an even larger file size limit, Nitro Basic subscribers can double the limit to a whopping 50MB for $3 per month. The highest tier, Nitro, will net subscribers a 500MB file size limit for $10 per month, as well as other goodies like 4K video streaming and more emoji to post.

Discord needs to keep new features and updates free

Seeing Discord willing to address long-term issues like the file update limit bodes well for the near 200 million user base, as it most likely means that the service will be looking into other features to add and upgrade. And because this recent quality-of-life change is meant for non-Nitro subscribers, Discord hasn’t forgotten about non-paying members, as well.

Another new feature that Discord recently dropped for a limited amount of servers is Soundboard, which allows users to upload and share an audio clip to a voice channel that can then be heard by everyone else in that same voice channel. It’s simple, silly, and a fun way to increase interactivity within a server community. 

And best of all, Soundboard starts off as a free service, with eight preloaded sound slots for server members available. Of course, by boosting a server and increasing its tier level, you can add more sound slots but the tool isn’t initially paywalled.

Though I’m sure that Discord makes a sizable chunk of income from paid Nitro subscriptions, it’s important to have plenty of free services for the vast majority of users who don’t subscribe. Word of mouth among that base has always been an effective promotion tool, and relying on such a huge audience ready to test out these new features creates goodwill while amassing useful feedback and data for eventual updates.

The latest WhatsApp beta on Android is getting a neat, little upgrade as it is finally allowing users an in-app way to both edit and add new contacts.

You may be wondering: “Doesn’t this already exist? It seems like a pretty basic thing to have.” It sort of does, but it's not the same. Currently, if you try to edit your contacts, WhatsApp will redirect you to your phone’s native contacts list. According to WABetaInfo, people who have WhatsApp beta version 2.23.8.2, 8.4, 8.5, or 8.6 should now see a different user interface when editing or adding contacts that more closely reflects the app’s style. When you do add someone, their information will immediately be saved onto the device’s contacts list or Google account; whichever is available.

Now the question is, will this update have any kind of impact? As WABetaInfo points out, perhaps just a bit. You’re probably just going to shave off a few seconds plus save some processing power that would’ve been spent on launching another app. 

If you’re interested in checking out the redesigned contacts list, you can install the beta version of WhatsApp from the Google Play Store at any time. Be aware the update is rolling out in waves so you may not get it initially as was our case. All eager participants can do if they don’t get the redesign is wait until the feature arrives on their device within the coming days.

Future of WhatsApp

As for the future of WhatsApp on Android, there’s a decent amount in store. Back in early March, a different beta introduced Silence Unknown Callers to stop phone calls from unrecognized numbers. There’s also the mysterious Audio Chat which doesn’t have a lot of information surrounding it although some online theorize it’s the app’s attempt at emulating Discord voice chats. Also, Meta is expanding the Companion Mode beta to all beta testers giving users the ability to link their WhatsApp account to an entirely different mobile device.

For iOS, the developers are working on a way for users to upload their status updates directly to “Facebook Stories without leaving WhatsApp”. You can try this feature out through WhatApp’s TestFlight beta program, but only if you’re one of the lucky few who managed to join TestFlight before the last spot was taken nearly two years ago.

While we have you, be sure to check out TechRadar’s list of the best-encrypted messaging apps on Android for 2023. 

WhatsApp is working on a new feature that will let users lock and hide individual chats behind biometric security, such as your fingerprint. Since most modern phones have some kind of biometric security feature in place it’s likely the feature will be available to everyone.

According to a post on the WABetaInfo forum (and spotted by Wccftech) the new feature was found in version 2.23.8.2 of the app, an early build that is not currently available to everyone. It’s a positive change to see the company coming up with new features and updates that address consumer concerns rather than cosmetic changes.

WhatsApp is the default messaging app for a lot of people, so having that extra layer of privacy would definitely benefit a lot of people with sensitive jobs, or who just want some things to remain private. It may be a little controversial to some, as many would wonder who this is for and how giving people access to a feature like this is actually a benefit, but that’s a common thread of discourse that surrounds any privacy features rolled out on apps or hardware.

Privacy concerns

This is great for people who don’t want the government snooping through their messages (valid), but not so great for the governments themselves. WhatsApp has already stirred up a whole lot of trouble earlier in the year for defending the end-to-end encryption it offers users that make it so that only the sender and receiver can read the texts.  

When the head of Meta’s WhatsApp messaging service came to London earlier this year to discuss privacy issues with the UK government around privacy, he definitely stirred the pot, advocating for consumer privacy rather than government surveillance. So, suffice it to say if we do see an update that features additional privacy features, there will likely be pushback from some governments.

As this is a feature spotted in an early beta version of Whatsapp, it’s not certain that it will end up coming to all users, so don’t get too excited. We’ll keep you posted if and when this new privacy feature does arrive in a full update.

WhatsApp might soon save us from the embarrassment of our simple spelling mistakes, as an edit messages feature looks to be in development for the app.

We’ve all speedily typed out a message, only to hit and send and instantly realize that a good chunk of the words are spelled incorrectly. You can try to correct the mistake with a follow-up message, but by that point, the damage is done and everyone can see a permanent record of the time you misspelled ’at’.

WhatsApp might soon let you correct such mistakes, as an edit messages feature is being teased in the latest WhatsApp beta (via WABetaInfo). While the feature itself isn’t live yet, an in-app notification has been discovered in the latest update which warns recipients of a message that “This message was edited for everyone in this chat on the latest version of WhatsApp.”

You aren’t able to actually edit messages in the app yet – not even in the public beta version – but the notification strongly suggests that this tool will be added to WhatsApp soon. That said, remember to take this info with a pinch of salt, as there’s always a chance the feature could get scrapped no matter how far along in development it appears to be.

How will WhatsApp message-editing work?

Because the feature isn’t even part of the WhatsApp beta yet we aren’t certain how it will work in practice, but early signs suggest that you’ll have a short window (about 15 minutes) to edit a message after it’s been sent. Any message you edit will then get an 'Edited' label, so people know you altered what you typed, though it’s unclear if the app will keep a log of what the message said before it was edited.

Beyond helping you correct mistakes, editing messages can help you avoid confusion in your communication. If you’ve written out a message that isn’t super clear you can make an edit and clear up any issues before people even notice.

This isn’t the first time a message-editing feature has been teased for WhatsApp, so a launch could be coming fairly soon. We’ll just have to wait to see what’s announced for the app in the coming months, but hopefully, our fat-finger errors will soon be a thing of the past.

If message-editing isn't enough to persuade you to stick with WhatsApp, check out our picks for the other best encrypted messaging apps for Android in 2023.

Google wants everyone to know that its Bard AI is definitely not trained on private Gmail data, despite Bard telling people that it is.

After teasing its AI chatbot earlier this year – to rival Microsoft’s ChatGPT-powered Bing Chat service – Google has recently unleashed Bard on the world. However, the beta program is still prone to making mistakes, including one recent gaff where Bard said it was trained using data from a variety of sources like Wikipedia, GitHub, and (worryingly) Gmail.

This information was shared by Kate Crawford (an AI expert) on Twitter via a post showing a Bard conversation in which the program was asked “where does Bard’s dataset come from.” In its response, Bard said it uses “Google’s internal data: This includes data from Google Search, Gmail, and other products.” 

However, the official Google Twitter account corrected this error, saying in a reply to Crawford’s tweet that “Bard is an early experiment based on Large Language Models and will make mistakes. It is not trained on Gmail data.” 

Don't trust everything an AI says

Another day, another reminder that you can’t believe everything an AI tells you. Because as impressive as Bard, Bing Chat, and the best ChatGPT alternatives are, they’re also fallible. 

Yes, they’re trained on a huge swathe of human data, but they don’t have a proper understanding of what any of that information really means. So, when you ask a question, it’s merely spitting out its best guess at an answer.

What’s more, Bard does seem particularly easy to trick. Michael Allison, one of our Phones team’s Staff Writers, managed to get Bard to say eggs didn’t exist, and our friends at Tom’s Hardware found that Bard was a bit too quick to claim Tom’s Hardware’s CPU tests as its own – though it did then apologize. 

As for why Bard would get information about itself wrong, most likely it hasn’t been told (or it’s been told this info should be kept private at all costs) to avoid it spilling its secret rules as Bing Chat did. If users find out how an AI works behind the scenes, it becomes much easier to manipulate it and use the bot for nefarious purposes. So, when asked about where its data set was gathered, Bard seemingly spat out an answer that combined what it knows about other AI and the kind of data Google could access.

If you want to try tricking Google Bard for yourself you’ll have to join the waitlist, but our guide on how to sign up for Google Bard should help you get through the steps super quickly.

Hot on the heels of the arrival of Google Bard, the tech giant’s answer to artificially intelligent internet darling of the moment ChatGPT, Google is bringing a new AI-powered feature to Gmail on Android devices - the ability to ask an AI to write an email for you.

The way this will work is pretty straightforward: a new icon (a wand with sparkles, because AI is simply magical) will take you to a text box, where you can type in a short prompt that Gmail’s generative AI will use to produce an email. If your prompt is too short, Gmail will suggest that you ‘Keep writing to create a preview.’ Once the bot is happy with your prompt, you can hit ‘Create’ and boom, your email is written.

Google is also working on a ‘Refine my message’ option, which will allow you to ask the AI assistant to edit an email you’ve already written. For example, you can ask it to shorten a message for brevity’s sake, or automatically ‘formalize’ it with more professional language. Amusingly, there are also plans for an ‘I’m feeling lucky’ option, which, uh… I don’t know why you’d want to randomly generate an email to someone, but sure.

With ChatGPT coming to Microsoft 365 after its initial integration into Microsoft’s Bing search engine, Google is clearly worried about being on the back foot in the AI arms race. As such, Bard will be coming to Docs too - though it looks like Google is taking a marginally more cautious approach than Microsoft, which may be wise given how poorly Bard’s initial showing went.

If you’re interested in testing out Bard for yourself, you can sign up to take it for a test drive. Unlike ChatGPT, Google’s chatbot is currently in semi-open beta, so you will need to sit on the waiting list for a bit before you can jump in.

Opinion: This isn’t needed, and it’s infuriating that Google doesn’t seem to care

If you’ve read any of my other articles recently, you’ll probably be aware that I’m a bit of an AI skeptic. The topic of AI is already a very divisive one, and the rise of powerful tools like GPT-4 threatens to cost people their jobs. Here’s the thing, though: I genuinely do believe that there are use cases for machine-learning software. We’ve seen AI used to do incredible things, like helping the blind see and clearing plastics from our oceans.

Using AI for creative endeavors is much more of a grey area. If we push AI tech to produce more and more content for entertainment purposes, be that writing, art, or videos, we run the risk of flooding the internet with AI-generated content and creating a feedback loop with diminishing returns.

Are emails a creative endeavor? Sort of. You need to be able to write; I’m sure many of us have shaken our heads in exasperation upon receiving a horribly written, badly formatted email from a professional contact. The arrival of Gmail’s AI assistant on Android could finally banish bad emails from our inboxes - but it poses the risk of creating entirely different problems.

In our hands-on time with Google Bard, we were impressed by its capabilities but had to call into question its accuracy and lack of citations. This could be the tip of the iceberg; if we all start making Gmail’s AI write our emails for us, then we could find ourselves tumbling down a rabbit hole of chatbots replying to chatbots, a situation almost guaranteed to cause conversational devolution leading to miscommunication, confusion, and upset.

This is my actual concern, and I feel it’s a valid one. We’ve already seen the failings of AI, and the ways in which human users can and will abuse it. But it wasn’t actually my first thought when I saw this news. The very first thing I thought was this: why the hell do we need AI to write emails for us?!

It’s rant time, folks. I mean, come on. Are we really so lazy and incapable as a species that we desperately need a machine to help us talk to each other? How long does it take to write an email?! Even if you’re planning to write a lengthy missive that the AI could produce a lot faster, that just means you’re probably getting into the specifics of something important and you’re gonna need to spend your valuable time carefully engineering that prompt to ensure nothing gets left out!

I’m sorry, but this is just dumb. Nobody really needs a chatbot to write emails for them. Get in the sea, Google.

Google has just announced a huge set of new AI tools that could change the way we use some of its most popular apps, including Gmail, Google Docs, and more.

In both an official blog post and video (below) the tech giant revealed several new AI tools that will be coming to its most popular apps. The first ones will initially only come to a select group of testers in Gmail and Google Docs, but we've also been given a tantalizing preview of the ones coming to Google Sheets, Google Slides, and Google Meet, too.

The move is most likely to rival competitors in the AI space like Microsoft's ChatGPT-powered Bing and Microsoft 365. Since AI has grown in popularity, Google has been scrambling to match its rivals' moves in the market, going so far as rushing out an announcement of its own Google Bard chatbot, which still isn't open to the public. There was also an underwhelming presentation that even had its own employees rolling their eyes.

Still, the results from what we've seen in this demonstration look far more practical and promising than the AI tools Google has announced so far. They've been integrated into Google Workspace, so users will soon be able to use generative AI in several writing features. For now, only trusted testers will have access to these new tools but after that, they'll be rolled out to all Google users.

So, in no particular order, here are all the best AI tools coming to Google's line of products.

The 5 most useful AI tools coming to Google apps

1. Gmail: instant summaries of long conversations

If you've ever opened up your work email only to find an extremely long and confusing email chain, this tool could be for you. This particular AI tool allows you to quickly summarize long email conversations, pulling out the most pertinent information and laying it out in a neat box.

From what we've seen from this demo, it even adds the names of those involved in the conversation, giving the summary even more context and clarity. And it drafts a response based on all the information gathered. Of course, it remains to be seen how accurate this tool will be, as any missing information from said summary could be detrimental to your work.

Most likely, it'll use machine learning to improve its quality of work, which should mean it doesn't skip important information as it's used more often.

2. Gmail and Google Docs: time-saving drafts when you type in a topic

Out of all the AI tools showcased in Google's presentation, this AI writing and brainstorming feature looks to be the most promising. As demonstrated in the demo, a prompt that states "Help me write" followed by the request "Job post for a regional sales rep" results in an instantly drafted job post.

From there of course the human user would edit and refine the document, but having a draft instantly created saves plenty of time and effort. You can also use the tool to add certain tones to your document depending on the situation, like whimsical or formal.

There's a lot of flexibility in this AI tool, and the fact that it works for both drafting documents and emails should make it even more valuable.

3. Google Slides: AI-generated presentations with imagery

This is easily the most controversial of the new batch of Google's AI tools. The core of the concept, creating slides for a presentation in Google Slides, is a smart one that could save a lot of time and energy in terms of creating layouts instantly. However, unlike the other tools that use text already written by either you or coworkers, this tool creates images, audio, and video, then inserts it into your presentation.

But where does that media come from? A database gathered by Google's AI of course. But then where does the AI pull the references from to generate this content? That's the problem and something Google will likely need to address.

As it stands, there's been a lot of misuse of this tech to the point of even plagiarism, and it remains to be seen if Google is using a personal database or pulling from the internet to create this content.

4. Google Meet: capture notes through AI

This is another AI feature that could potentially save a lot of time and effort. This tool captures notes from conference calls and other meetings with audio, then takes "notes" of that meeting, summarizing the most important points in an easy-to-parse format.

Judging from the demo, the most impressive part of this note-taking tool is how it organizes the notes, using complex formattings like bullet points, calendar icons to indicate an important date, headings, and more. It not only looks incredibly organized but works at a far faster rate than a human could.

This tool would leave time and energy for everyone to focus on the meeting itself and not need to devote a person to take these notes. Meaning that everyone can participate.

5. Google Sheets: auto-fill data entry with AI

Data entry can be repetitive and boring at times, or even confusing when dealing with extremely large sets of data. This AI tool would be especially handy in parsing dense amounts of information, then converting that information into data charts.

The demo showed the command "Personalize messages for our client" and then next to each entry created a unique message for each of them, most likely as a mailing list. A task that would take a human a long time to accomplish was done in an instant. 

Of course, a human would have to edit each message to ensure quality, but having the drafts done is an incredibly useful and time-saving first step.

WhatsApp could soon be adding expiration dates to group chats so you no longer have to deal with so much clutter in your inbox.

If you open up your Whatsapp right now we expect you’ll find a backlog of defunct chats for group projects that have long been handed in, coordinating for events that happened years ago, and communicating with school friends you haven’t seen in a decade. Most of these you'd probably long forgotten about, with the unnecessary chats clogging up your smartphone’s storage with messages and images from chats you no longer need.

According to a leak, WhatsApp is set to get a feature that will help unclog your inbox called 'Expiring Groups' (via WaBetaInfo). If the feature is added you should find it on the group’s info page; using it you’ll then be able to set when you’ll be prompted to 'clean up' the group choosing either one day, one week, or a custom date. You could also remove the group’s expiration date.

Based on the leaked screenshot, each user would have to set their own expiration date for the group, and it looks like WhatsApp won’t automatically delete the group. Instead, it will seemingly remind you that it might be time to leave the group or delete it, but the decision will be yours.

We’d suggest taking this news with a pinch of salt, though. WaBetaInfo has noted that the Expiring Groups feature is still in development – so not only is it apparently not ready for a full release, it’ll likely be some time before the feature makes its way to the WhatsApp beta. As such there’s a chance we’ll never see the feature launch – the developers could decide to scrap it – or by the time Expiring Groups launches, it could function differently.

You don’t have to wait for this Expiring Groups feature to launch if you want to remove old WhatsApp groups. In your Inbox long press on the chat you want to remove and then tap the menu button in the corner (the three dots) that appears, then Exit Group. Alternatively, you can Archive the chat so that it’s no longer in your Inbox but you can return to the chat later if you choose to.

You can also send self-destructing messages if you just want the chat's content to disappear, not the whole group chat.

WhatsApp is taking a more proactive approach to filtering out spam as it may soon begin automatically silencing calls from unknown numbers.

The feature is fittingly called Silence Unknown Callers, according to WABetaInfo, giving users the choice of whether or not they want phone calls from people outside of their contacts. It’ll find its home in the settings menu where it can be toggled on or off at any time. Once activated, WhatsApp will no longer alert users to calls from random numbers, but the Caller ID can still be found in both the calls list and notifications center if you really want to know who it was.

As WABetaInfo points out, Silence Unknown Callers could also be addressing a flaw in WhatsApp’s Communities feature. The problem is anyone in a group can get other people’s numbers pretty easily either by contacting the Community creator or an admin to then start spam calling everyone. On the flip side, the full list of participants in a Community and their numbers are visible to the creator so even they can take advantage of the situation. Reporting and blocking certainly work, however, there’s nothing in the way to stop the first wave of spam; at least for now.

You can try out Silence Unknown Callers yourself by downloading the latest WhatsApp beta for Android which you can do by joining the Google Play Store beta program. It’s unknown at this time whether or not the feature will make its way to iOS nor do we know its official launch date.

In the works

Alongside Silence Unknown Callers, WhatsApp is currently testing a variety of other new features for Android. The big one is a new split view on tablets allowing the chat list to appear when opening a chat, status tabs, or making a call. It looks similar to the browser version of WhatsApp. Additionally, the beta will allow users to try out the redesigned Status tab now supporting Newsletters, the platform’s other big upcoming feature. 

There are a few changes for WhatsApp for iPhones, but they’re a lot less impactful. Arguably the biggest change in the iOS beta is the redesigned chat attachment menu which is already present on the Android app. And a new sticker maker tool that turns images into stickers. Not much for iOS owners right now, but at least you recently got an exclusive picture-in-picture mode for video calls.

Be sure to check out TechRadar’s recently updated list of the best antivirus apps for Android if you want to know how you can boost security. 

WhatsApp may inevitably have an AI chatbot en route, but a feature we're actually more interested in has just popped up in the beta version of its Android app – a newsletter tool.

(ed: so that's akin to a proprietary email client combined with an email marketing service?)

The incoming feature, currently called Newsletters, was spotted by WABetaInfo in WhatsApp's latest Android beta (version 2.23.5.8, to be precise) and suggests the messaging app is about to jump into the popular news format that's traditionally lived in our email inbox.

As the early previews show (in the image above), the Newsletter feature will live quite prominently in WhatsApp's Status tab. Here you'll be able to "stay updated on topics that matter to you" and follow new newsletters by hitting the plus icon and entering a username.

So how exactly will newsletters fit into WhatsApp's privacy features and end-to-end encryption? According to WABetaInfo, they'll effectively sit outside the latter – your personal messages will continue to have the usual level of security, but newsletters will hide or mask the phone numbers of anyone who creates one or subscribes.

As the early screenshots show, newsletters will simply live in a separate (and optional) section of your Status tab. The ones you subscribe to will be apparently shown chronologically, without any ads or algorithmic interference (to start with, at least).

What isn't yet clear is exactly what kind of newsletters will appear on WhatsApp and who it expects to create them. Due to the popularity of WhatsApp Groups, it seems likely that they'll be a useful way to get updates from local organizations, sports groups, or official sources like city councils.  

But unlike WhatsApp's Communities feature, which arrived in November 2022 and had a cap of 5,000 members, the Newsletter tool doesn't appear to have restrictions on the total number of subscribers. That means it could potentially also be used by brands and Substack creators as an additional outlet to reach fans who want regular updates on particular topics. 

This all remains speculation until we see a more developed version of the feature, but given the popularity of traditional email newsletters, it's one we're keen to keep an eye on. And it would only strengthen WhatsApp's position as one of the best encrypted messaging apps for Android.

Analysis: WhatsApp morphs into Discord

WhatsApp is clearly looking to build on its ubiquity with features that broaden its appeal beyond messaging – and Newsletters is an intriguing step that goes far beyond its recent Communities feature.

As we've previously argued, WhatsApp Communities work in a similar way to public servers on Discord and Slack, as they let people have conversations within wider communities (in other words, groups of Groups) including local clubs, organizations, and schools.

But Newsletters appears to work quite differently and could turn WhatsApp into more of a publishing platform. The anonymity of the feature (no phone numbers of subscribers or creators are shared) means it's really a broadcast medium, without any of messaging or interaction that is currently WhatsApp's hallmark.

It appears that Newsletters will be a completely private tool as well, with WABetaInfo stating that no one will be able to see who you follow. Your subscription options won't be reliant upon who's in your contact list either – not unlike traditional email newsletters, then.

While some marketers have used Discord servers to create thriving communities, some could potentially consider WhatsApp's incoming newsletters as a strong alternative – particularly as the app has over two billion active monthly users. There's currently no timescale for the feature's launch, but we're looking forward to seeing it in a future version of the app soon.  

That's not the only feature that could be coming in a future version of the app, with the latest WhatsApp beta teasing that the long-sought-after message editing feature could be added soon.

According to recent reports, Microsoft Hotmail (now officially known as Microsoft Outlook) has been having some issues with its junk email filtering systems, opening the floodgates to allow heaps of spam into users’ inboxes.

Users have taken to Twitter to voice their frustrations, but it’s unclear right now what is causing the problem. While Microsoft has reached out to some affected individuals on social media with invitations to DM to discuss the issue, there’s yet to be an official response declaring this to be the fault of a specific known bug or glitch.

While we don’t have any exact numbers on those affected, we can confirm that the problem is widespread – members of the TechRadar team (myself included) have been getting bombarded with spam emails all day long. 

Hotmail is now trending on Twitter too, which must be making some Microsoft execs particularly annoyed since these tweeters aren’t even using the proper name.

Analysis: More trouble for big M

Microsoft has been having quite a year so far. The big-ticket event for the company was the reveal that the AI tool ChatGPT has been integrated into the Bing search engine (as well as the Microsoft Edge browser), but it took less than a week for the chatbot to start sending unhinged messages to users.

Now the tech giant is in trouble again, with users fuming at the torrent of dodgy emails landing in their inboxes. People are already posting memes about the supposed failure of the junk filter, with some speculating that somebody at Microsoft accidentally hit a switch they shouldn’t have – we feel the need to say that’s almost certainly not how it works, but it’s still an amusing thought.

In any case, there’s no proper fix available yet, but we’ll be sure to let you know when Microsoft sorts things out. Normally, Outlook/Hotmail allows you to set a specific level of junk filter protection; set it high and the automated system will aggressively target potential spam emails, although this does run the risk of sending actual legit emails to your junk folder.

Outlook (like most secure email providers) also has the option to mark specific domains as spam sources, though this is rarely a helpful tool since email spammers typically use domain generators to bypass such filters. The spam filter issues are disrupting Outlook’s ‘focused inbox’ setting too, which is supposed to only show high-importance emails. 

We’ve reached out to Microsoft for comment and will update this story when we receive a response.

If you're using WhatsApp on iOS there's another update to look out for: developer Meta has started rolling out support for video call picture-in-picture mode, so you can still see who you're talking to while using other apps on your iPhone.

The update (via 9to5Mac) is simple enough, and comes with version 23.3.77 from the App Store. When you're on a video call inside WhatsApp, simply minimize the app, and you'll get a persistent video thumbnail on screen that you can drag around as needed.

WhatsApp announced the feature was on the way last year, and it would seem beta testing has gone well enough for the picture-in-picture mode to make its way out to everyone. Everyone with an iPhone, that is – there's been no word on whether this same functionality will make its way to Android at some point.

The iOS update includes some other improvements as well, such as the ability to add captions to documents, support for longer group chat names and descriptions, and personalized avatars that can be used as stickers.

The app that keeps on updating

Meta is of course going to be keen to keep millions of people coming back to WhatsApp, which is no doubt part of the reason it keeps its software developers so busy – very few apps get updates that are as numerous and as frequent as they are for WhatsApp.

Whether it's being able to send messages even when the internet is down, or upgrades in the number of photos and videos you can post to a chat, we don't usually have to wait very long before another update appears for WhatsApp.

These are most often updates that are useful and well thought out too, with the most recent one a good example of that: being able to stay on a video call while working in other apps definitely improves the user experience.

Don't forget the sheer number of apps under the WhatsApp banner, either. You can get native applications for Windows and macOS as well as Android and iOS, and there's even a version that runs in a web browser. All we need now is an iPad version.

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WhatsApp is currently developing a way for users to send images in their original resolution without impacting quality.

WABetaInfo, which discovered the feature, reports users will be able to choose photo quality via a new Settings menu located in the app’s drawing tool. The current version of WhatsApp does allow you to choose “Best Quality” prior to sending images to keep the resolution high, but it still compresses files – just to a lesser extent in order to provide a fast data transfer time. But still, having that newfound level of control will be especially helpful in situations where the quality of a photo is important, as WABetaInfo points out. Not much else is known about the feature, but it’s probably safe to say sending images in their original resolution will most likely increase data transfer time, download time, and the amount of space needed on a device to store said files.

As stated earlier, the original image resolution feature is in development so it won’t be a part of any upcoming WhatsApp betas or launch anytime soon. It’s also worth pointing out that the update was discovered on the Android version of WhatsApp with no mention of whether or not the original image resolution feature will arrive for iOS.

Incoming shortcuts

WABetaInfo also uncovered new shortcuts for WhatsApp mobile. These shortcuts will allow group chat admins “to quickly and easily perform actions… [and] simplify some interactions with group members”. The full extent of this feature is unknown, but according to one example, admins can choose to highlight phone numbers whenever someone joins or leaves a group chat. Additionally, admins can create a new context menu for themselves for certain actions like privately calling chat participants or adding them to their contacts. 

These shortcuts will be especially helpful when dealing with massive groups. Back in November 2022, WhatsApp launched Communities: large-scale chats that can house 1024 participants. With chats that big, admins need all the tools they can get to manage everything. This shortcut feature will definitely be a major boon for them.

And unlike the original image quality feature, the shortcuts are currently available for both Android and iOS through their respective WhatsApp betas. Unfortunately for iPhone owners, the TestFlight program for WhatsApp is no longer accepting newcomers. If you’re already a participant, you can just download the beta, no problem. Android users can still join the Google Play Store beta program, however.

2023 is slated to be a big year for WhatsApp. January alone has seen WABetaInfo reveal a ton of beta features for the messaging app like the ability to record statuses with your voice and a revamped chat transfer that removes Google Drive from the equation. Be sure to check out TechRadar’s recent WhatsApp beta coverage. 

WhatsApp will soon let you speak your status.

The new status update capability is nested among a rather batch of upcoming WhatsApp features. According to WABetaInfo, the company is working on 10 new tools. Most are currently available through the beta version of the Android app with one exclusive to iOS devices.

On Android, WhatsApp is currently testing voice status updates allowing users to record and share voice notes as a status instead of plain text. You will have a maximum recording time of 30 seconds, and if you don’t like what you hear, you can toss out the status before recording another update. Notes are confirmed to be end-to-end encrypted, “ensuring that only the people you choose with your privacy settings can listen to them.” They also automatically disappear after 24 hours or you can delete them yourself at any time.

There are restrictions for the current version of voice status updates, however. Not everyone who downloads the beta app will have the opportunity to record updates as it’s only going out to a select few. Plus other users will need to have the beta installed on their phones in order to listen.

Improving chat transfer

Next, the development team is working on a revamped chat transfer feature for securely moving your chat history over to a new Android device without needing to use Google Drive; effectively removing the middleman. The way the migration works is you need to open the chat transfer tool on your old phone first, then scan a QR code on the new device’s copy of WhatsApp. It appears this is exclusive to Android phones, as according to WABetaInfo, an iOS version “is not planned at the moment.”

And the final noteworthy Android changes are the new shortcut-blocking features. One will let you block a person within the chat list without having to open the whole conversation while the other allows users to block contacts from inside a notification. Be aware the latter feature only appears when you get a message from an unknown source. That way, you don’t accidentally block someone you know.

Exclusive for iPhone

For iOS, WhatsApp is adding tabs to the in-app camera so you can switch between taking photos or shooting videos on the fly instead of pressing and holding the on-screen button. It’s unknown if the video mode will continue recording after switching to photo mode or if it will stop. Hopefully, it’s the former, because it would be disappointing if the recording stops after switching.

Unfortunately, the iOS beta program for WhatsApp is full, so any new interested iPhone owners won’t be able to try out the upcoming camera mode. The latest Android beta, however, still has room for testers via the Google Play Store. Official launch dates remain unknown for everything.

While we have you, be sure to check TechRadar’s recent list of the best free Android apps available through the Google Play Store. It’s a massive list spanning 11 pages and covering education, travel, and camera apps. 

WhatsApp continues to work on disappearing messaging with its most extreme version yet: View Once messages à la Snapchat.

Now instead of having to choose from 24 hours to 90 days for a message to disappear forever, these texts will immediately delete themselves after opening. These texts also can’t be forwarded to another user or copied onto a device. And according to WABetaInfo, which found the upcoming feature, there will be a slightly different icon for these messages: an arrow with a lock on it. At this point, it’s unknown what the update will do for taking screenshots of View Once messages. WABetaInfo can’t confirm if screenshotting is blocked or not as the feature is still in beta, but considering this is a part of WhatsApp owner Meta’s efforts to support user privacy, there’s a pretty good chance this will be a function.

If any of this sounds familiar, that’s because WhatsApp added the same function for images and videos earlier this year. It’s worth noting you can actually screenshot and screen record this particular type of View Once media, and on top of that, you won’t be notified if the recipient does this.

View Once messages are part of the WhatsApp beta for Android version 2.22.25.20, which you can download through the Google Play Beta Program. All you have to do is sign up for the program (be aware it may take a few hours before you’re allowed to download the app). Don’t get too attached to the current design because beta designs are often subject to change.

Regarding WhatsApp on iOS getting View Once messages, there’s no mention of an App Store beta, but we can’t imagine a scenario where iPhone users don’t get this feature at some point.

Beyond the base function

The View Once messages fall in line with the current theme of WhatApp’s recent updates: taking one feature and making it bigger by expanding it beyond the base function.

For starters, you and a thousand of your friends can come together in the new Communities feature (an expansion of WhatsApp Groups) allowing users to join multiple groups under a specific topic like what university you attended. Plus it’s a helpful way to keep up to date with current events in your local area. Another noteworthy update is the new and improved self-messaging feature – now more streamlined as you won’t have to open a new chat room.

Meta has been taking strides in improving WhatsApp security and encryption, but it never hurts to double up. A few weeks ago, TechRadar updated its best authenticator apps for 2022 so you can add a second layer of protection for your accounts.

Google has announced that it's bringing end-to-end encryption to group chats in the Google Messages app. The security upgrade is heading to beta users first before being rolled out more widely.

End-to-end encryption means no one, not even Google, can read the content of messages. It's already supported in the Google Messages app for one-to-one chats, but now (via The Verge) it's going to be added to group conversations as well.

"End-to-end encryption is starting to roll out for group chats and will be available to some users in the open beta program over the coming weeks," Google says. "This shouldn’t even be a thought – just an expectation and something anyone texting should not have to worry about."

From SMS to RCS

In the same announcement blog post, Google revealed that the ability to quickly react to a message with any emoji is coming to Google Messages soon as well. At the moment, only a selection of emojis can be used as reactions.

Alongside a mention of these new features, Google also continued to push hard for RCS (Rich Communication Services) to become the new standard for everyone – the technology, an upgrade on SMS, is now widely available but has yet to be adopted by Apple on its iPhones.

Google's post also acknowledged the 30th anniversary of the SMS, a milestone which emphasizes how old the technology is as well as how overdue we now are for a standard that can fully replace it.

Analysis: SMS should really be history

The arrival of SMS three decades ago helped to transform the way that we communicate with each other – even if the messages were limited in terms of characters, and many phones could only store a limited number of texts at any one time.

Now, apps like WhatsApp and Slack have taken us far, far beyond those limitations. Messages can be much longer and include photos, videos or audio, and we can even tell when recipients have opened up the messages we send them.

It's benefits like these that make RCS a worthwhile upgrade, improving the security of messages and making features such as group chats much better. Google didn't create the standard, but it is heavily promoting it.

However, whenever an iPhone user texts an Android user, SMS is still the protocol used. Google wants that to change, but it's unlikely that Apple ever will – Apple knows that iMessage is one of the key reasons that people stick with iPhones.

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It looks like WhatsApp is down. Millions of users have been trying to send messages on the app, but rather than being sent, people are simply seeing a clock icon next to their messages.

As of the morning of Tuesday, October 25, WhatsApp seems incapable of sending apps, although people can still log in and see previously sent messages.

We've fired up this live blog to bring you all the latest developments, while we - and hopefully the WhatsApp team at Meta - try to figure out what's happening.

Welcome to our WhatsApp is down live blog. After seeing numerous reports about WhatsApp being down, I've tried sending a message myself, and sure enough, it won't send - instead I'm getting a clock icon next to the message, which suggests the WhatsApp servers are failing.

Very frustrating.

According to the Downdetector website, there's been a spike in people reporting issues with WhatsApp since around 9am BST (4am ET, 1am PT) on Tuesday October 25.

The most common issue is sending messages, which is the problem I've been experiencing, as well as other members of the TechRadar team.

I've had a check of the official WhatsApp Twitter account, but so far it has not posted anything regarding the problem, but WhatsApp is trending in the United Kingdom, so this is clearly a widespread issue.

At least the memes are enjoyable.

We have now got a comment from WhatsApp's parent company Meta, which said (as per Reuters): "We're aware that some people are currently having trouble sending messages and we're working to restore WhatsApp for everyone as quickly as possible."

Here's what we're seeing when using the web version of WhatsApp in a browser. As you can see, we can't connect to WhatsApp's servers, and messages aren't sending.

Video calls via WhatsApp are also down. I've just tried it, and after a few seconds, the call ends, and a message says that the video call failed and that I should check my internet connection. Thanks WhatsApp.

Here's the error message I'm getting when trying to make a video call. Definitely seems to be a server issue on WhatsApp's side.

The above image shows the current state of the mobile WhatsApp app, with messages just sitting there waiting to be sent.

If you've noticed the same, then don't worry - it's not you, there's something wrong with WhatsApp.

I do worry that when this issue is resolved, there are going to be a HUGE amount of messages suddenly sent around the world. That could cause additional strain on WhatsApp's servers.

There's around two billion WhatsApp users around the world who use the app on a monthly basis.

As of right now, it appears none of them can send WhatsApp messages.

Google is updating its Messages app by adding new organizing features and multimedia support in a new effort to push the RCS protocol.

RCS (Rich Communication Service) is a communication standard that aims to replace the old SMS (Short Message Service) protocol.  The more modern standard allows for "richer text features," higher quality content, and end-to-end encryption for better security, according to Google. And that’s pretty much what users will be getting in this update, though app security won’t see any improvements. 

Google‘s stated goal is to “improve messaging between Android and iOS [devices]” as multiple tech industry bodies have been pushing for widespread RCS adoption. But there’s been one significant player standing in the way: Apple, which has refused to adopt the protocol.

New features

Earlier this year, Google Messages got an update that allows it to display emoji reactions from iPhone users. This latest batch revolves around helping people deal with messy group chats.

Messages will now start suggesting actions when it detects certain types of texts. For example, the app will suggest pinning texts with important details in them, like addresses or phone numbers, to keep better track of them. If it recognizes a message such as “Can you talk now?”, the app will suggest calling that person and surface the Google Meet icon for quick access.

Reminders will be further integrated into the app, allowing you to set future notices straight from Messages without opening anything else. And individual messages can be directly responded to, either by text or emoji, but you will need to first enable RCS.

With regards to multimedia support, it's more about making things more efficient. Audio messages sent through the app will be automatically transcribed thanks to the new Voice Message Transcription feature. Google points out this can be especially helpful if you’re in a crowded space. On top of that, YouTube videos can be watched inside Messages.

Google also mentioned it will be experimenting with a new feature in select countries. Through Messages, the feature will allow you to speak directly to businesses found on the Search and Maps apps. We reached out to ask which countries will have this tool. This story will be updated if we hear back. 

The update won't roll out for another few weeks, but you can download the Messages app straight from the Google Play Store right now.

Apple's decision

It’ll be interesting to see if these latest Messages app updates prompt Apple to finally adopt RCS. When asked about this at the Far Out event, company CEO Tim Cook claimed iPhone users don’t really care about the protocol, so Apple hasn’t seen fit to support it. Apparently, enough users don’t mind the cross-platform messaging disconnect. Plus you have options like WhatsApp on iPhone if people truly want that RCS support.

It isn’t out of the realm of possibility, however. At one point, Apple said it wouldn't put a USB-C port on iPhones but now they apparently will by 2024 as the European Union signed a law forcing them to do this. Granted, there’s no governing body telling Apple to adopt RCS, but it is facing mounting pressure from the industry. Even Mark Zuckerberg took a potshot at Apple in a recent Instagram post on iMessage’s lack of E2EE.

If you’re interested in secure messaging, be sure to check out TechRadar’s best encrypted messaging apps for Android. 

Apple Messages just got a bunch of new features with the arrival of iOS 16, and it looks like Google won't be far behind in adding several significant upgrades to its own Messages app for Android devices.

Some digging by 9to5Google has revealed code that's in the Messages app but not yet enabled – suggesting that these features are still being worked on and could be switched on in the not too distant future.

One of the upgrades apparently in the works is the ability to reply to specific messages in a conversation, something that you'll be familiar with if you've used WhatsApp or iMessage. Users should also soon be able to respond to a message with any emoji they like.

Audio and images

That's not all: it looks as though Messages will soon give the option of transcribing voice notes into text. In other words, you can get voice notes written out for you if you're not able to listen to the actual audio clip - something not seen on many messaging rivals and would be quite the filip for Google’s messaging app as it continues to build an attractive messaging app to draw in new users. 

Finally, there are also indications of a new gallery view appearing inside the Messages app, switching to a vertical layout that makes it easier to get to the image(s) you want to attach to your outgoing messages.

As for when all of this will appear for users, there's no indication of any fixed date, but it shouldn't be too long. It's possible that Google will use the Pixel 7 launch on October 6 to make some software announcements too.

Analysis: Google isn't giving up on Messages

You'd be forgiven for being a little confused by Google's messaging app strategy over the last year or twenty. Messages is the default app provided on Pixels and many other Android phones, which handles SMS and MMS duties. It also supports RCS or Rich Communications Services, an upgrade on SMS.

RCS isn't a Google product, though Google is investing heavily in its development and adoption. It turns SMS into something more modern, with support for features such as read receipts and media file formats (including the all-important GIF). Google is pushing Apple to support RCS, but we could be waiting a while for that to happen.

Then there's Google Chat, which has taken over from Google Hangouts. This is more akin to something like WhatsApp or Telegram, and includes most of the features you would expect from a messaging app. It doesn't support SMS or RCS though, which is why Google Messages is still around.

These incoming features show that Google Messages and Google Chat will be staying separate for the foreseeable future – it's somewhat confusing for users, but then we've come to expect that in recent years. See also Google Duo, the video calling app which is now being merged into Google Meet.

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