A Facebook Messenger bug discovered earlier this year was revealed this week by a security researcher. This bug worked with the Facebook Messenger call system, taking advantage of a loophole that let an attacker make a phone call and auto-answer said call on the receiver's end. With this bug, an attacker could effectively listen to you through your phone without your knowledge.
Once upon a time, Snapchat's unique feature was its ephemeral posts that helped protect user's privacy, especially for more compromising content. Since then, however, almost all social networks and instant messaging platforms have implemented a similar feature or at least tried to. It definitely took a while but Facebook is finally catching up and has announced a new Vanish Mode that's coming to its own Messenger app and Instagram in the coming days.
Facebook Messenger has been going through some big changes lately, and now it looks like Facebook is going to cap things off by giving the app a new look. This redesign of sorts is shipping out beginning today, and though it's somewhat basic, Facebook says that it represents a "shift to the future of messaging" that's more dynamic and integrated.
Facebook's latest move with Instagram - this week - was to integrate several "familiar features" from Messenger. If you have no issue whatsoever with Facebook as a company or a social media entity, this shouldn't be much concern to your personal wellbeing. If, on the other hand, you've been using Instagram since inception and have been bummed to find Facebook's acquisition of the property meant it'd be integrated into The Social Network further, and further, and further... today is another dark day.
The COVID-19 pandemic has forced a lot of activity that used to be done in-person to move online. Work is being done remotely and friends are chatting in video calls instead of getting together in-person. In response to this massive shift toward online collaboration and communication, we've seen a number of companies roll out new features and functionality. Facebook has been building out Messenger's feature set as the pandemic progresses, and today it added a new tool called Watch Together.
It may not yet have that unified messaging platform that it's rumored to be so eager to have, but Facebook is at least trying to unify some of behavior across its various social networks. Earlier this year, its instant messaging property WhatsApp started to put caps on how many times a message can be forwarded and now Facebook is doing the same for its own Messenger all for the sake of curbing misinformation.
If you're having issues with Facebook Messenger at the moment, we've got some good news and some bad news for you. The good news is that it isn't a problem on your end, but that means the bad news is Facebook Messenger is having some problems on its end. Facebook Messenger doesn't seem to be down entirely, but we've noticed that the desktop site in particular is not functioning properly.
Facebook today announced a number of new security features for Messenger, and chief among them is a new App Lock feature. This, essentially, will keep your messages private even if someone else gains access to your phone, whether they're simply borrowing it or they're being a little more intrusive. In addition, Facebook is rolling out new settings that give you control over who can and can't message you.
This week the Facebook for Android app updated the way they show their brand - with all sorts of icons. You'll see Facebook, Messenger, Instagram, WhatsApp, and Oculus. This is just the tip of the iceberg, really, as Facebook's ramped up acquisitions of companies over the last several years. Do you know if your favorite app and/or service is owned by Facebook? Let's take a look at the list of names that are actually owned and/or run by Facebook, from top to bottom.
Facebook is testing a new way for Messenger users to secure their inboxes, at least if they own an iPhone. The feature, which was first leaked back in January, enables Messenger users to secure their inboxes behind Face ID even if the iPhone is unlocked, putting an extra barrier between one's messages and any nosey person who may be trying to get a look.
Uncertain and desperate times bring out the best and the worst of people. While there will always be those who will go out of their way to be humanity's brightest stars, there are others that exemplify mankind's biggest weaknesses. While we always need to be on guard against such malicious agents, it's not always possible to defend one's self against more cunning individuals. That's why Facebook is applying a dash of machine learning to give Messenger users a bit of confidence or at least warn them if something is a miss.
In late April, Facebook introduced Messenger Rooms, a new video chatting feature that enables up to 50 people to participate in the same group call. The feature was introduced as demand for video messaging services has skyrocketed, joining Skype, Zoom, and other similar platforms. The latest WhatsApp beta adds an integration with this feature.