Techtonic

  WhatsApp started working on ‘vacation mode’, a feature that ignores new messages on archived chats back in 2019. We’ve seen multiple reports regarding the feature getting discontinued and resurrected over the past year. The company even tested renaming archive chats to ‘read later’ earlier this year in January. And today, we can report that WhatsApp has started rolling out the feature to let you mute archived chats forever. In this article, we will explain how it works and detail the steps to enable the “Keep chats Archived” feature in WhatsApp Archived Chats No Longer Clutter Your Inbox WhatsApp has started testing a new toggle that now lets users  keep archived chats in the archive section when they receive a new message . For the uninitiated, WhatsApp currently pushes the chats out of the archive section for new messages even if you’ve muted the contact. This is particularly annoying as it defeats the purpose of archiving a chat. Going forward, this wi...

WhatsApp to Soon Get 'Status' Feature on KaiOS Devices Like JioPhone By Techtonic group Mozilla's Firefox OS may not have been able to compete against Android in the low-cost smartphone sweepstakes, but unbeknownst to many, a forked version of the software has been gaining a massive user-base over the past couple of years. Called ' KaiOS ', the Firefox OS-based operating system powers basic feature phones like the  Jio Phone  and the  Nokia 8110 .  It has a combined user-base of over 100 million , making it the third-largest mobile platform in the world after Android and iOS. While KaiOS is obviously lacking in apps as compared to the two smartphone platforms, a number of popular social media applications, in particular, are now available on the platform. Much like  ChromeOS ,  KaiOS is also essentially a browser with HTML5 and Javascript . So more often than not, KaiOS apps are basically mobile websites wrapped into an app that can be stored lo...

WhatsApp Now Lets You Add People Using QR Codes; Currently Limited to iOS Beta By tectonic group WhatsApp wants to make it easier for users to be able to share their contact details and add new users to the service. Thus, it has debuted a new QR code contact card with the latest iOS beta update. You can share your QR code with others, who can then scan and add you to their contact list. Easy peasy! First  spotted  by serial tipster WABetaInfo, this feature has been rolled out through a server-side update in the latest WhatsApp beta v2.20.60.27 update. If you an iPhone user, you can head into the app's settings to  see a new 'QR code' icon  next to the username. You can tap the icon to see a personal QR code contact card, as shown in the header image above. This QR code is directly shareable to other messaging apps, e-mail, or more. You can choose to screenshot the same to send it to your friends. Your friend will then need to head to the said QR cod...

India Watchdog Investigating WhatsApp For Possible Antitrust Violations By Techtonic group The Competition Commission of India (CCI) is reportedly investigating allegations of monopolistic trade practices against WhatsApp for trying to bundle its  proposed payments service  with its popular instant messaging app. According to  Reuters , at least two sources have confirmed that the person who filed the complaint with CCI was a lawyer, but neither divulged the identity of the complainant. While both WhatsApp and its parent company, Facebook, has been named in the complaint, the former seems to be the object of CCI's investigation. According to one of the three unnamed sources quoted by the report,  "The case is in initial stages .. senior members of CCI are reviewing it but a final decision hasn't been reached" . The latest development is a new hurdle for the Facebook-owned company at a time it is desperately trying to roll out its payments platform aft...

Here's How You Can Enable Dark Theme on WhatsApp Web Right Away By Techtonic group Love dark theme over the light one? Well, most of us do and we were thankful to see WhatsApp  introduce dark mode  on its mobile app earlier this year. The company has reported to be working on dark mode for its web app over the past couple of months. Though the company is  yet to officially roll out  the dark theme for WhatsApp Web, a workaround for enabling the same has surfaced online. The workaround was first reported by a WABetaInfo reader and shared by the tipster online earlier this week. So, if you want to access dark theme on WhatsApp Web right away, simply follow the steps below: How to Enable Dark Mode on WhatsApp Web 1. Navigate to  web.whatsapp.com  in a browser window and scan the 'QR code' via the WhatsApp Web to log into the messaging app. 2. Right-click anywhere outside the messaging window and select the 'Inspect Element' option to se...

WhatsApp Gains Messenger Rooms Integration with Latest Android Beta Update By Techtonic group Facebook is not pulling any punches and is gearing up to snatch a chunk of the video conferencing market from rivals like  Zoom  and  Google Meet . The company has already  rolled out  Messenger Rooms to everyone across the globe this week. Now, in line with rumors, the Messenger Rooms integration in WhatsApp has started to go live for some users. First spotted by reliable tipster WABetaInfo, the Messenger Rooms integration today  went live for WhatsApp Android beta users  running the latest build #2.20.163. The feature seems to be rolling out in phases but should be available for all beta users in the next few hours. The rollout began with the U.S., as per WABetaInfo, but select users from Ghana and India are also seeing the dedicated 'Messenger Rooms' button. We are running the latest beta update but the integration hasn't gone live for me just y...

WhatsApp Working on Messenger Rooms Integration on the Web By Techtonic group After  increasing the number of participants  in group video calls from four to eight, WhatsApp is now working to integrate Facebook's all-new ' Messenger Rooms ' conference calling feature with the platform. While the social media giant has already announced that Messenger Rooms will be a part of all its apps, including Facebook, Messenger, Instagram and WhatsApp, we now seem to have a new set of screenshots that reveal how the feature may work in the web app of the popular instant messaging service. The screenshots come from noted WhatsApp tipster,  WABetaInfo , and shows some of the shortcuts that will be implemented in the WhatsApp web app. As can be seen, the Messenger Rooms shortcut will be visible in the main actions list (image 1), and if the user selects the shortcut, WhatsApp will show a splash screen (image 2) with information about the feature. The third image shows that ...

WhatsApp Multi-Device Support Coming Soon, Suggests New Report By Techtonic group WhatsApp has reportedly been  working on multi-device support  at least since last year, and it seems as if the company is getting closer to finally rolling it out to the beta channel. According to renowned WhatsApp tipster,  WABetaInfo , traces of the new functionality were first spotted in a beta build of WhatsApp for Android early last month, when decompiling the APK enabled them to turn on a hidden feature displaying the message  "Use WhatsApp on other devices" . However, the feature is still not available on the latest beta (v2.20.152) as it continues to remain under development with the company looking to iron out the kinks before releasing it on the Play Store. The tipster, however, has now shared a new screenshot to give us an idea about how the new feature might work. The screenshot shows  a 'Linked Devices' screen that suggests users will be able to connect mul...

Take a Look at WhatsApp's Much-Awaited Dark Mode By Techtonic group Facebook is moving to the dark side - not because of its recent privacy mishaps. Well, we mean it's working to implement a 'dark mode' in all of its services. Instagram is testing a dark mode in beta ( find steps to enable it here ) and we already know that both Facebook and its popular messaging service WhatsApp is working on a dark theme of its own. Well, thanks to well-known WhatsApp tipster WABetaInfo, we've got our  first look  at dark mode for WhatsApp. It's a moment to rejoice, but some of you may not be satisfied with this dark theme. As you can see in the screenshots above, WhatsApp isn't assuming a true AMOLED dark theme as we've seen with Facebook Messenger and Instagram. Instead, it  uses a "blue night" theme  similar to Twitter. In its blog post, WABetaInfo details that WhatsApp will add a new "Theme" section in the Settings, where you will...

International Fact-Checkers Network Launches Fact-Checker Bot on Whatsapp By Techtonic group Over the years, popular messaging platform WhatsApp has evolved to be the breeding ground of fake news and rumors. The company has been  taking steps to fight misinformation  and the latest effort in this regard is the addition of a fact-checker bot in collaboration with Poynter Institute’s International Fact-Checkers Network (IFCN). "Since January, IFCN’s CoronavirusFacts Alliance has been utilizing the capacity of the fact-checking community to help users to sort truth from fiction by debunking falsehoods around the COVID-19 pandemic. The IFCN chatbot will allow users to search for fact checks and get connected with fact-checkers in their countries from their smartphones. The chatbot will also serve as a way to direct people to their local fact-checkers’ websites.",  says IFCN’s Director, Baybars Orsek. IFCN's chatbot lets you search for fact checks, view the latest ...