What was supposedly a week of celebration for DiDi following its listing on the New York Stock Exchange ended with a whimper with its app being blocked in China. The Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) […]
Category: Social computing
Parler back on App Store
After a four-month suspension, Parler has returned to App Store following some tweaks to meet Apple’s requirements. It is a welcome move for the social media platform, which was removed from App Store after the […]
Clubhouse to roll out Android app globally this week
The invite-only social media app Clubhouse will be rolling out its Android app globally this week — starting from Japan tomorrow. Launched on iOS in 2020, Clubhouse had gained popularity on the back of its […]
Google to introduce multi-skin tone handshake emoji in 2022
If you’ve ever wished for a handshake emoji featuring two different skin tones, Google will make your dream come true in 2022. The process to be inclusive in this regard started in November 2019 when […]
Microsoft takeover ends in Discord
It seems like Microsoft’s rumoured acquisition of Discord is over. Just a month ago, rumours emerged that the software giant was in talks to buy the game messaging platform for US$12 billion. According to reports, […]
Social and collaboration software market to grow 17% in 2021
The worldwide social software and collaboration market is expected to reach US$4.5 billion in 2021, up 17.1 percent from 2020, according Gartner. Two key growth factors are the need to support remote work during COVID-19, […]
Microsoft in Discord acquisition talk
Microsoft is reportedly in talks with Discord over a US$10 billion acquisition. According to sources, the messaging platform has been on the lookout for either a deal or even to go public. It seems that […]
Facebook to end Watch Party on April 16
Facebook’s Watch Party, which lets users watch videos together, will become history on April 16, 2021. No reason was given for the removal of this feature, which was introduced in 2018. Watch Party comes in […]
WhatsApp enables voice and video calls on desktop app
WhatsApp has made its desktop app more appealing by adding voice and video call features, bringing it on par with Signal and an edge over Telegram which only allows voice calls. These features were previously […]
Australia passes news media bargaining code
Australia has passed the News Media Bargaining Code to get Facebook, Google and other tech platforms to pay Australian publishers for showing their contents in posts and searches. Under the code, Facebook and Google will […]
Facebook and Australia: Friends again
Australia should be able to view news on their Facebook feeds again in the next few days. This about turn comes after the Australian government agreed to change its proposed media bargaining law aimed at […]
WhatsApp presses on with update
Despite the pushback from users, WhatsApp is determined to press on with its privacy updates. Since news broke of the changes to privacy terms and conditions, the messaging app has faced what it deemed as […]
No more news sharing and viewing on Facebook in Australia
Facebook has taken the drastic step of blocking publishers and people in Australia from sharing or viewing Australian and international news. This ban is in response to the Australian government’s proposed new Media Bargaining law, […]
Parler returns
One month after it was hooked offline by Amazon Web Services (AWS), Parler has returned online. In various reports, it seems that Parler’s lifeline came from SkySilk, a Los Angeles-based cloud platform. Its resurrection must […]
Parler axes CEO
Parler CEO John Matze has been fired by the company’s board. According to his memo to staff (reported by Fox News), Matze noted that on January 29, 2021, “the Parler board controlled by Rebekah Mercer […]
Telegram sweetens WhatsApp migration by enabling chat history move
Telegram has gained more than 100 new users in January, the bulk of whom were probably former WhatsApp users who were peeved by new terms and privacy policy. And Telegram has just added an incentive […]
Google in Aussie showdown
Faced with a proposed new Australian law on having to pay news sites for links to their articles, Google is threatening to pull the search engine out of the continent. Google is not the only […]
Parler’s website back, service still down
An unlikely source has helped to revive social media platform Parler, a week after its forced removal by America’s Big Tech firms. Reports suggest that its website is now hosted on Russia’s DDOS Guard. However, […]
WhatsApp pushes update deadline to May 15
Three more months. WhatsApp users have more time to consider if they are prepared to accept the messaging platform’s new terms and conditions. This follows a backlash that has resulted in millions migrating to alternatives […]
WhatsApp’s loss is Signal and Telegram’s gain
The repercussion of WhatsApp’s new terms and conditions are massive with many users flocking to alternatives such as Signal and Telegram over the past few days. Signal is reaching one million daily downloads while Telegram […]
Parler strikes back
Dealt with a killer blow, social media platform Parler has struck back at Amazon Web Services (AWS). It has filed a lawsuit against the cloud computing service provider for violating anti-trust law and breach of […]
New WhatsApp terms: Accept or delete account
WhatsApp has updated its terms and privacy policy which users need to accept by February 8 or consider deleting their accounts. According to the WhatsApp alert, “After this date, you’ll need to accept these updates […]
Telegram to add ads in 2021
Messaging app Telegram, which has around half a billion active users, will be inserting advertisements in 2021 as part of its monetisation strategy. More traffic translates to more expenses which can add up to “at […]
Facebook under fire
Facebook has come under fire in the United States for anti-competitive practices. The Federal Trade Commission and 48 states alledges that the socila media giant has become a monopoly by gobbling up its competitors, namely […]
Baidu targets US$3.6b JOYY purchase
Baidu has agreed to pay JOYY US$3.6 billion for its video-based entertainment live streaming business YY Live in China, which includes YY mobile app, YY.com website and PC YY. The transaction is expected to be […]
Instagram gets reels and shop tabs
Instagram has got two new tabs — a Reels tab fors discovering short and fun videos, and a Shop tab to provide easy acess to brands and products. Reels was first announced in August when […]
Zendesk adds WhatsApp capabilities
Zendesk has established a strategic partnership that lets companies engage with customers, share information and respond to questions across WhatsApp, Messenger and Instagram. According to Zendesk and ESG research, companies with the best customer experiences […]
WhatsApp message: Gone in 7 days
WhatsApp messages just keep growing and growing, taking up tons of space on users’ smartphones. Deleting messages can be troublesome and time-consuming. A newly-announced feature lets users choose if they want their messages to disappear […]
Scienjoy applies 5G technologies to live streaming
Scienjoy is leveraging 5G technologies to create a fully immersive user experience and drive the development of entertainment that combines online, offline, and virtual reality. The China live streaming platform is pioneering the application of […]
Mute WhatsApp notifications forever
If you’ve been inundated with WhatsApp notifications, the messaging platform has just introduced a magic word — “Always”. Instead of the previous maximum muting duration of one year, you can now mute chats forever. You […]
