Messaging

WhatsApp now indicates if your message has been read

Christian Zibreg ∙ November 5, 2014

As we patiently await an update to make WhatsApp support native display sizes of the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus, the tremendously popular Facebook-owned messaging service on Wednesday enabled a new check mark in the chat UI indicating that the recipient has read your message.

Now when you're chatting with someone, pay attention to read receipts in the form of blue check marks, as discovered by designer, Dutch translator at Twitter and jailbreak developer Timon Olsthoorn (and many others on Twitter).

This is an over-the-air update so those with WhatsApp installed on their iPhone can start using this feature immediately, without the need to update the app manually.

WhatsApp, which has more than 600 million active users, is free in the App Store.

Shared AT&T plans get more LTE data, unlimited international messaging for no additional cost

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 27, 2016

The nation's second-largest carrier, AT&T, said on Friday that it will be increasing monthly data allotments for two of its Mobile Share Value plans.

Beginning Sunday, November 2, Mobile Share Value customers will get three gigabytes of high-speed 4G LTE data for $40 a month instead of two gigabytes.

In addition, customers on a pricer tier will be treated to six gigabytes for $70 a month instead of four gigabytes like before.

Furthermore, all Mobile Share Value plans now get unlimited international messaging for text, picture and video for no additional cost.

Skype for iPhone updated with avatar sync, ability to save and delete photos from chats and more

Christian Zibreg ∙ October 30, 2014

After updating Skype for Mac with Yosemite support earlier this morning, Microsoft on Thursday issued a new Skype for iPhone refresh. Now sitting at version 5.7, the app finally makes it easy to save and delete images from chats.

People who roam between devices and platforms will notice that chat avatars now stay in perfect sync when picking up on one device where they left on another.

You should also notice faster performance, especially when opening chats from a notification, and improvements to Skype's contact filters such as All Contacts, Skype and Online.

Skype for iPhone is available free in the App Store.

You can now preview stickers in Facebook’s latest Messenger update

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 27, 2016

The social networking giant Facebook on Wednesday pushed a small update to its Messenger client for the iPhone and iPad which lets you preview sticker animations.

Facebook Messenger 12.0 (what's up with version numbers, Facebook?) allows you to press and hold down on a sticker to expand it and view any animations before sending it.

The app is available free in the App Store.

Facebook Messenger updated with doodles and captions for your photos

Christian Zibreg ∙ October 16, 2014

Facebook Messenger has received its iPhone 6 compatibility fix nearly a month ago, unlike their main iOS client which only got refreshed with half-baked support for the new iPhone screen sizes yesterday.

Be that as it may, Facebook today issued a small Messenger update adding the ability to adorn your photos with captions and casual scribbles and sketches.

Messenger 14.0 (what's up with version numbers, Facebook?) is free in the App Store.

Microsoft launches Skype Qik, its own ephemeral video messaging app

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 30, 2018

Tuesday, software giant Microsoft launched a brand new ephemeral messaging app, Skype Qik, in a bid to take on the likes of Snapchat and other applications in the increasingly crowded ephemeral messaging space.

“Imagine if you could reinvent the Skype experience, taking into account how messaging, selfies and app culture have changed the way we communicate,” reads the blurb.

The free of charge iPhone app is based on Microsoft's $100 million acquisition of the mobile video provider Qik three years ago. Microsoft retired the original Qik app soon after, clearing the way for a re-introduction of the reimagined Qik software for iOS, Android and Windows Phone.

As the name suggests, Skype Qik is being promoted through the Skype brand, itself owned by Microsoft. Matter of fact, Qik runs alongside Skype to provide an ongoing form of video chat allowing you to share laughs, and chat with groups of friends.

Skype for Mac 7.0 now available with revamped chat experience

Christian Zibreg ∙ October 9, 2014

Microsoft on Thursday issued a major new update to Skype for Mac alongside a new preview for Windows desktop. Available as a free download, Skype for Mac 7.0 brings out mobile-inspired look with a revamped chat experience, ahead of OS X Yosemite release later this month.

The richer chat experience allows you to chat and call simultaneously with one click and keep the conversation going across devices.

You'll also appreciate improvements to the free group video calling feature and the fact that the overall appearance of the app fits right in with OS X Yosemite.

Former Microsoftie releases Talko for iPhone, a new take on unified messaging software

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated February 4, 2018

Ray Ozzie, Microsoft's former Chief Technical Officer and Chief Software Architect, has released a brand new iPhone application which promises to “give people their voices back,“ as journalist Steven Levy put it in a hands-on post on Medium.

Named Talko, it combines phone calling, text messaging, virtual conferencing and photo sharing into a single app that lets you talk to people, exchange messages, organize conversations with #tags and audio bookmarks, share photos in an Instagram-y fashion and more.

The app is available free in the App Store.

Facebook Messenger and Amazon Kindle apps updated for iPhone 6

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 27, 2016

Although Apple's new iPhones have been in stores for more than a week now and developers are scrambling to update their apps with native display support for the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus.

And while users are still waiting for an iPhone 6 optimized edition of WhatsApp, the social networking giant Facebook has now updated the Messenger iOS app with native iPhone 6 support.

Another important piece of software has also received its iPhone 6-focused refresh today, Amazon's Kindle for the iPhone and iPad. Both Facebook Messenger and Amazon Kindle are available free of charge in the App Store.

Microsoft to update Skype for iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus next month

Christian Zibreg ∙ September 23, 2014

Software giant Microsoft, which owns and runs the Skype service, will unleash an update next month that will optimize the popular VoIP platform for the bigger 4.7-inch screen on the iPhone 6 and the iPhone 6 Plus's 5.5-inch display, according to a Skype spokesperson Tuesday.

“We’re currently working on an update to Skype for iPhone that scales for iPhone 6 and 6 Plus screen sizes, which we plan to release in the next month,” said Skype.

The company wouldn't reveal if the new version will take full advantage of the larger canvas or simply blow up the user interface on 4.7 and 5.5-inch iPhone 6 devices.

Skype gains iOS 8’s interactive notifications

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated February 11, 2016

Microsoft on Monday refreshed its Skype software for the iPhone with support for the enhanced notifications on iOS 8 that can be interacted with on the Lock screen, within the Notification Center and from the banners.

Now available in the App Store, Skype for iPhone 5.5 brings iOS 8 interactive notification support for audio and video calls and messages, in addition to general improvements, compatibility enhancements and bug fixes.

Message Scheduler for Whatsapp does what its name suggest…

Alihassan Mahdi ∙ September 8, 2014

If you frequently use Whatsapp, you might have noticed that the social messaging app doesn't allow you to schedule messages to be delivered at a specific time. Message Scheduler for Whatsapp is a jailbreak tweak developed by Mohamed Marbouh that enables this feature on your jailbroken iOS 7 device.

The tweak allows you to schedules a specific time and date when you want a particular message to be sent to a specific recipient. This can be useful when you want to remind someone of an upcoming event at the right time.