IM

Screenies of WhatsApp iOS 7 update leak

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated October 12, 2018

As WhatsApp continues to shrug off competition from not only Viber, but also Apple's iMessage, Microsoft's Skype and even Google's Hangouts, the instant messaging space continues to burst with activity.

However, WhatsApp - arguably the most popular cross-platform instant messaging solution - has yet to update its iPhone client with iOS 7 look and feel.

Even though we don't know when that update might drop, we have a pretty good idea of how the iOS 7-inspired application might look like thanks to iOS developer @HackiPhone who tweeted out a couple of work-in-progress screenies...

New ‘Spin’ iOS chatting app does full HD 60FPS video and Wideband 44kHz audio

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated February 13, 2018

Doesn't it bother you that popular mobile video chatting solutions draw from pedestrian video compression technology (maxing out at 720p, at best) and rarely provide acceptable audio quality?

Case in point: Microsoft-owned Skype, which bragged about its recent iOS client update bringing high-definition video calling - though it's limited to 720p. Spin, a brand new free of charge iOS mobile together experience, is unlike any chat you've experienced before.

Three years in the making, Skype's hot new competitor is exclusive to the iPhone and iPad and capable of delivering cinematic experiences with full HD 1080p video (1,920-by-1,080 pixel resolution, to be precise) at sixty frames per second, along with crisp Wideband 44kHz audio.

You and your parents should immediately download Spin. Jump past the fold for the full reveal...

Upcoming iPhone app ‘Ping’ fuses email and instant messaging

Cody Lee ∙ Updated December 29, 2016

There's a war going on right now for email, and a major battleground is the mobile app space. On iOS alone, there are a number of applications that promise to change the way you use electronic mail like Mailbox and Dispatch.

And today we're adding another one to the list: Ping. Ping is an upcoming iPhone app that packs a number of useful features like snooze, push notifications and search, and it can replace email conversations with IM-like threads...

Google removing Messenger from Google+ apps

Christian Zibreg ∙ August 14, 2013

Another Google service has bit the dust as the Internet giant announces it will be removing Messenger from Google+ for Android and iOS over the coming days. OBviously, as the focus turns to Hangouts, Messenger is no longer needed. Granted, the writing's been on the wall ever since Google released Hangouts for iOS and Android back in May, its answer to the unification of the many Google chat services under a brand new moniker...

WhatsApp adds unlimited voice messaging

Christian Zibreg ∙ August 7, 2013

WhatsApp is arguably the most popular cross-platform mobile messaging solution out there and while it currently lacks a desktop client (unlike its rival Viber), it's just become a whole lot more useful by introducing a significant new feature: voice memos, a pet project of its CEO over the past six months.

Unlike Facebook's Messenger iOS app that requires three taps to make a voice recording, it only takes a single tap to record and send a voice memo in WhatsApp. And no, it's not a staggered release: the new WhatsApp with push-to-record voice messaging is available now simultaneously on iOS, Android, Windows Phone, BlackBerry and Nokia...

BlackBerry Messenger beta for iOS and Android invites rolling out

Christian Zibreg ∙ August 1, 2013

The long-rumored BlackBerry Messenger is finally launching on iOS and Android before the end of summer (so before September 22). It looks like the software is coming along nicely as Canada's embattled smartphone maker has started rolling out invites to a small number of users on its Beta Zone website, asking them to test out the Android and iOS versions of the software...

Viber update brings ‘seen’ status, photo doodles, new emoticons and more

Christian Zibreg ∙ July 31, 2013

The popular cross-platform instant messaging software Viber has been updated to version 3.1, bringing a few noteworthy improvements.

In addition to fun new emoticons and a new 'Seen' status that lets you know when your messages have been seen, Viber version 3.1 features expanded support for the Viber Desktop application on Windows and Mac.

If you have the desktop app on your Mac or Windows PC, you can can now seamlessly transfer a call in progress from your iPhone to your desktop. There are other improvements in this Viber update as well, mentioned right after the break...

Enormously popular WhatsApp goes free: gains iCloud chat backups and other features

Christian Zibreg ∙ July 16, 2013

WhatsApp, arguably the most popular cross-platform chatting solution, has just gone free on the App Store. We're not sure whether the move is part of the upcoming iOS subscription switch or if there was a change of heart.

Either way, we're not complaining. Previously a 99-cent download, WhatsApp for the iPhone and iPod touch is now provided free of charge (jump past the fold for the fine print).

In addition, the app's been updated with the much-needed ability to back up your chats to iCloud so you don't loose your chat history upon reinstalling WhatsApp. Other changes in WhatsApp 2.10.1 include support for URL schemes and the ability to send multiple photos at the same time...

Pirate Bay co-founder touts ‘secret’ messaging app

Ed Sutherland ∙ Updated January 26, 2016

So, you want to order a pizza or text sweet nothings to your significant other without the NSA listening? The co-founder of The Pirate Bay, known for swapping illicit copies of movies and software, has a secret - literally. Peter Sunde is raising funds for Hemlis (Swedish for "secret"), a new kind of messaging app for iOS and Android he and his team are working on. They boldly claim the software is designed to keep out the most prying eyes, such as those from the U.S. government's PRISM program...

Viber for Mac gets typing indicator, group messaging, stickers and emoticons

Christian Zibreg ∙ July 9, 2013

The popular Skype alternative and WhatsApp rival Viber today updated its Mac app with half a dozen new features. You'll recall that Viber released the inaugural Mac build back in May to allow for cross-platform messaging. I've been actively using it ever since on my MacBook Air and today's update adds a few features I've been missing a lot.

Now, when you're chatting with someone, you can tell whether a person is typing a message thanks to the new typing indicator. And for a feature-parity with Viber for iOS, the Mac edition now expands on the initial release with full support for group messaging capabilities, as well as popular stickers and emoticons. I've included a few remaining nice-to-haves after the break...

BlackBerry Messenger launching on iOS ‘before the end of summer’, CEO confirms

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated March 18, 2016

First, it was going to be available "this summer". Now, it is coming "before the end of this summer". I'm referring to BlackBerry's way overdue iOS and Android edition of the Messenger software which once used to be the primary reason teenagers in emerging markets opted for BlackBery handsets.

Company CEO Thorsten Heins made the new timeframe official during a quarterly earnings call this morning, while revealing disappointing results...

Skype iOS apps updated with free and unlimited Video Messages

Christian Zibreg ∙ June 27, 2013

Microsoft-owned Skype was testing a new Video Messages feature since mid-February, but it wasn't until mid-June that they opened video messaging to everyone.

Today, the software maker has finally updated Skype for iPhone and iPad with free and unlimited Video Messages, basically short videos Skype users can send to each other, even when offline.

Previously, you could only send 20 free messages up to three-minute long each before being prompted to sign up for a $4.99 premium Skype account...