messaging

It’s no secret that the Trump administration has some issues with the Environmental Protection Agency, and that has raised ample concerns both among the public and within the EPA itself. We’ve already seen alterations surface on the EPA’s climate change site, and critics have expressed worry that bigger, more harmful things may follow. Now, according to a new report, at least half a dozen EPA employees have started using an encrypted messaging app to discuss amongst themselves plans for handling the administration’s possible future undermining of the agency.

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Amazon is, of course, most famous for its retail store first and foremost, and perhaps its digital content second. But for the geekier crowd, Amazon’s name is also synonymous to cloud infrastructure through its Amazon Web Services. Powering not a few critical cloud services, AWS is venturing into the business of directly offering services, particularly for enterprises. Its latest stab at that market is Chime, which, unlike its name, is going to be a more or less noisy service, as it enables companies to chat in groups, whether by voice or by video.

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Viber, the messaging service similar to Messenger and WhatsApp, has introduced a new ‘secret messages’ service that enables users to send self-destructing videos and photos. Once the message expires, it’ll disappear from the conversation, having no part in the permanent chat log stored in the user’s history. Those on the receiving end of a secret message can only view the content once before it disappears.

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Sending messages via our smartphones has become a less than simple affair. SMS, the age-old medium of messages, can no longer meet the needs of modern conversations, many of which include images or, at the very least, emojis. That is why Google is getting behind RCS, short for Rich Communication Services, and has apparently enabled the feature in its Messenger app for a very limited number of T-Mobile subscribers, giving them functionality that people will most likely immediately associate with Apple’s iMessage.

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All three major entry points for Google Voice have been updated this week, all at once, by Google. "It’s been several years since we’ve made significant updates to the Google Voice apps (and by several, we mean around five ;-)," said Jan Jedrzejowicz, Product Manager for Google Voice. "but today we’re bringing a fresh set of features to Google Voice with updates to our apps on Android, iOS and the web." As such, the Google Voice apps look like they've joined the modern world.

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We’ve known for a while now that WhatsApp has plans for businesses, and now references to those plans may have been found in the messaging app’s latest beta release for mobile devices. According to @WABetaInfo, references to "Enterprise" have been found in the newest Android, iOS, and Windows Phone versions of the beta app, as well as some changes to how messages are handled.

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Google’s messaging platform strategy has never really been stable. Over the years it has switched from one system and app to the next, practically promising “this” would be it. Substitute “this” with Voice, Messages, Hangouts, and now Allo and Duo, and you pretty much get the picture. Unfortunately for those who actually invested in, for example, Hangouts, they might soon find their investments rendered useless as Google shuts down Hangouts’ API that third-party app developers once used to hook into the service.

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Remember the days when you’d juggle half a dozen communication services just to keep up with family and friends? Well, those good old days are back with even more messaging apps and services offering nearly the same set of features. Their only difference is that some of your friends may or may not be using the same service. Trying to keep pace with other players, Facebook has finally given its Messenger service group video chat capabilities, finally fulfilling its most requested feature ever.

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The makers of the popular messaging app Telegram debuted a new blogging platform earlier this week, but one with a very interesting feature. Called Telegraph, it allows users to write and publish long-form posts with no requirement to create an account or sign in through other social network accounts such as Facebook or Twitter. In other words, it can be used to quickly write and publish posts to the web, completely anonymously.

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Google Assistant it ain’t, but Google’s latest chat app has some smarts of its own. Don’t know if a particular emoji exists? Not sure which emoji packs the best punch for the occasion? Don’t worry if you can’t figure it out because Allo can and will. The Smart Smiley button will suggest the best smileys, emojis, and even stickers for your conversation or message so you won’t have to worry about expressing yourself better. Plus, it also has new stickers to mark the premiere of newest Harry Potter-esque film.

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Once upon a time, Skype was the household name when it came to voice communications over the Internet. Today, that pie has been munched up by many services and companies, like Slack for teams and businesses. As part of its attempt to reclaim lost ground, Microsoft has spread Skype far and wide with new features and new audiences. It latest trick? Making it possible to use Skype without having to sign up for an account first. Together with its free tier, Microsoft has just made it far too simple for people from all over the world to get connected.

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Viber, a messaging app similar to WhatsApp, just announced a major new feature: public profiles for businesses, making it easy for customers and Viber users to message brands. Viber calls these public profiles “Public Accounts,” and says its users will interact with them the same way they do other any other user, with the messages showing up in the chat list. The feature isn't dissimilar to Facebook's business messaging feature.

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