IM

WhatsApp picks up new wallpapers and introduces new privacy controls

Christian Zibreg ∙ March 17, 2014

Facebook-owned WhatsApp, the world's most popular mobile messaging service, has received a nice little update Monday bringing some much-needed privacy controls.

For starters, you can now tell the app who you want to share your profile photo and status with, quite in handy if you're a private person who only wants to share this type of information with your phone contacts rather than with anyone using the service.

The same privacy settings are available for your Last Seen status as well - useful when you don't want others to tell you haven't opened their messages yet. Oh, and this edition of WhatsApp also includes some nice new wallpapers.

The update is live in the App Store so grab it now...

Massive Verbs IM update brings iOS 7 UI, Dropbox integration, iCloud sync and lots more

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 26, 2018

Despite the undeniable usefulness of Apple's iMessage and the massive popularity of WhatsApp, many people still rely a variety of other messaging services, from the Facebook chat to Gtalk to AIM (who still uses AIM?) to Yahoo Messenger and a variety of emerging and lesser-known services with cryptic names.

Verbs by #include tech was released on the iPhone back in January 2011 and instantly won me over with its gorgeous interface that looks like it was designed by Apple itself.

It supports tons of instant messaging services, has a native iPad UI, delivers notifications for incoming messages and lots more. In todays Verbs 3.0 update, now available in the App Store free to existing users, the app is now iOS 7-ready and improved in ways more than one.

For starters, it now uses iCloud to sync your chat archives across devices in real-time - something Apple's iMessage still can't do. Verbs 3.0 integrates with Dropbox for sharing files and photos in chat, supports the Jabber protocol (useful for Hipchat and other Jabber-compliant IM services), while introducing a slew of new notification options.

The full breakdown is right after the break...

Stickers coming to BBM via upcoming BBM Shop

Christian Zibreg ∙ February 24, 2014

The embattled Canadian smartphone maker, BlackBerry, has confirmed plans to bring popular virtual stickers to its cross-platform messaging app, BBM. The stickers will be available for purchase through a new BBM Shop section that will be made part of a forthcoming BBM app update. BBM, a free download from the App Store, has recently been updated with voice calling, BBM Channels, location sharing and other features...

BlackBerry rolls out BBM 2.0 with voice calling, Channels, location sharing and more

Christian Zibreg ∙ February 13, 2014

Following a minor refresh recently which brought out a handy new Find Friends feature, Canada's struggling smartphone maker BlackBerry is today rolling out a new BBM version 2.0. The release contains a few new features such as free voice calling, BBM Channels, Dropbox integration, location sharing and more.

The free update is rolling out today so keep an eye on the App Store and don't panic if it's not live yet as these things take time to propagate.

The full breakdown is right below the fold...

BlackBerry rolling out Find Friends feature to BBM for iOS

Christian Zibreg ∙ February 5, 2014

Troubled handset vendor BlackBerry today issued an update for its cross-platform messaging software, BBM, bringing out a new Find Friends feature.

Whereas previously you had to punch in a person's BlackBerry ID or email address to add him or her to your list of BBM contacts, today's update simplifies the process by detecting which contacts in your iPhone's Contacts are already using BBM, so you can quickly send them an invite to join your BBM contact list.

The free update is going live in the App Store later today so make sure to grab it (if you're still using BBM, that is)...

Confide brings off-the-record messaging to iPhone

Christian Zibreg ∙ January 9, 2014

With the recent Snapchat data breach (and the company's subsequently poor handling of the situation) and given the ongoing NSA snooping scare, little wonder some folks would think twice before downloading a messaging app to their iPhone, iPod touch and iPad devices.

Storing your chat transcripts in the cloud introduces an attack vector so that's a big no-no, right?

And you definitely at all cost want to avoid the contents of your communication kept on the device itself, no? So how about a 100 percent off-the-record messaging software, one that would bypass the cloud while allowing for Snapchat-like disappearing text messages?

That's Confide for you...

This jaw-dropping concept totally reimagines Apple’s dull OS X Messages app

Christian Zibreg ∙ November 14, 2013

The iDB team very much depends on Apple's Messages app as our day-to-day communications tool to keep everyone on the same page. Disregarding for a moment the ongoing iMessage reliability issues, the Messages app that comes bundled with OS X feels terribly outdated both design and feature-wise, even in Mavericks.

Basically nothing has changed since the iChat days apart from iMessage integration and a few questionable UI tweaks adding up to the overall clunkiness.

Thinking differently about the software, Palo Alto, California-based user interface designer Denis Pakhaliuk has envisioned a remarkable concept which has immediately left me speechless and wanting for more.

The awesomeness is right after the break...

Facebook previews new-look Messenger with phone number integration

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated December 23, 2017

We were told last month Facebook had been working on a new version of its iPhone client with Graph Search and testing a major rethinking to the standalone instant messaging software, Facebook Messenger (a free download from the App Store).

Today, the social networking behemoth announced a new Messenger experience is now available for limited testing on Android and coming soon to iOS. Representing a major refresh, Messenger has undergone a substantial facelift and now lets folks instant-message each other using only their phone numbers, putting Messenger on a collision course with WhatsApp...

BBM sees 5 million downloads in first 8 hours of availability

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated May 16, 2016

Less than eight hours after officially hitting Apple's App Store and Google's Play store, the BlackBerry Messenger app (free download) has seen more than five million active downloads on iOS and Android combined, BlackBerry announced in a tweet.

The messaging application is a staggered rollout which employs a reservation system to prevent the kind of a server strain seen after the Android build had leaked out prematurely. According to some repots, there's a workaround that could let you use the app without waiting...

BlackBerry Messenger for iPhone is here, get downloading

Christian Zibreg ∙ October 21, 2013

After months-long back and forth, the horribly embattled Canadian smartphone maker BlackBerry, formerly Research In Motion, has announced that its BlackBerry Messenger (BBM) software has finally rolled out to iOS and Android devices today.

Announced as a staggered roll-out for Apple's App Store and Google's Play store, the secure instant messaging software employs a reservation system.

That's bad news for those who haven't signed up early at BBM.com as they will be forced to wait in line before they can use the app. On September 22, BlackBerry was forced to halt the planned roll-out of BBM for iOS after a leaked Android build had caused its servers to fold...

Facebook testing iPhone client with Graph Search, revamps Messenger for iOS 7 style

Christian Zibreg ∙ October 9, 2013

The social networking giant Facebook used to irk fans with its sluggish mobile clients that used to be second-class citizens on smartphones and tablets. Blame it on Zuck & Co. for taking the easy route by wrapping the mobile-optimized HTML code into "native" apps. That changed last year after Facebook hired a few former Apple engineers like Greg Novick and tasked them with rewriting these apps from the ground up to be snappier and more responsive than the web app disguised as a native one.

Although Novick has now reportedly departed Facebook and will return to Apple, the company has been busy developing major new updates to mobile Facebook and Messenger clients on iOS and Android. Both applications are now apparently dogfooded to company employees for testing purposes. Here's what's in store for the revamped Facebook and Messenger...