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WhatsApp’s new AI feature lets you rephrase and adjust the tone of your messages

WhatsApp is launching a new AI feature that allows users to rephrase, proofread, or adjust the tone of their messages, the Meta-owned company announced on Wednesday. The new feature, called “Writing Help,” uses Meta’s Private Processing technology, which allows users to receive AI-generated responses without Meta or WhatsApp reading the original message or the suggested rewrites. This means that messages on the platform remain private even if people use the new tool. With Writing Help, users c

You don’t need a Pixel 10 to get Google’s new call screening smarts

TL;DR Google Phone’s new “Take a Message” was presumed to be a Pixel 10-exclusive, but Google has clarified the feature is available on Pixel 4 and higher, but only in the US, UK, Ireland, and Australia. Users can also set up the feature on their Pixel Watch 2 and newer, but when paired to the Pixel 6 and higher. Similarly, Call Notes’ next steps feature was also presumed to be a Pixel 10-exclusive, but it is live on the Pixel 9 series too. With the launch of the Pixel 10 series, Google added

Gmail may finally alert you when someone reacts to your Chat messages (APK teardown)

Tushar Mehta / Android Authority TL;DR Strings in the latest Gmail update hint at some new Google Chat features in testing. Notification summaries in Gmail might work independently of Android 16’s system-wide version, bringing the feature to more devices. Gmail may also offer auto-generated conversation summaries and finally notify you when someone reacts to your Chat messages. Little by little, Gmail is slowly turning into more of a one-stop hub than an inbox. Google has been weaving Chat i

Spotify Introduces In-App Messaging for Sharing Music Recommendations With Your Friends

The subscribers spoke, and Spotify listened. This week, the 19-year-old Swedish music streaming service will begin rolling out Messages within the Spotify app for subscribers to share recommendations about music, podcasts and audiobooks. Messages will be available to Free and Premium members 16 and older on mobile devices in certain markets. Spotify says it will "continue building and refining the experience for more Spotify users around the globe in the months ahead." The company stressed th

Spotify's new DM feature lets you chat with friends in-app now - here's how

Spotify Follow ZDNET: Add us as a preferred source on Google. ZDNET's key takeaways Spotify is adding a new in-app messaging feature. Conversations are one-to-one with people you know. The feature is available for users 16 and older. Spotify is getting a little more social. Since you're already talking with your friends about songs, audiobooks, and podcasts, the music streaming app is adding a new feature that lets you send private messages to other users within the Spotify app. The featu

Waiting for Spotify Hi-Fi? Spotify built Messages instead, because of course they did

TL;DR Spotify is rolling out a new Messages feature that allows users to chat and share content within the app. The feature is available for free and premium users aged 16 and older in select markets. Users can have one-on-one conversations, share Spotify content, and react with text and emojis. Spotify announced its “HiFi” lossless tier in February 2021. While there have been recent signs of progress, the feature still hasn’t launched. If you’ve been holding your breath for Spotify’s lossles

Spotify introduces an in-app messaging feature

My first thought when I heard Spotify had launched a messaging service was, "Why?" But, after looking into it a bit more, I'm intrigued at the idea of sharing recommendations within the app. So, what is Spotify's new Messages feature? Basically, like Instagram, TikTok and other social media platforms, Spotify is creating a way for you to share content and thoughts from within its app. You can send playlists, songs and podcasts without having to use a link on another platform. You can see the M

Spotify is adding DMs

Posts from this author will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed. Spotify is introducing a direct messaging feature that allows users to share music, podcast, and audiobook recommendations with each other without leaving the app. Messages is rolling out in “select markets” this week, according to Spotify’s press release, and will be available on mobile devices for Free and Premium users aged 16 years and older. The messaging feature can be accessed by tapping the share ic

Spotify launches a messaging feature in a bid to become more social

Spotify is introducing a way for you to chat with your friends in a bid to become a more social content consumption app. Users have shared Spotify links for music and podcasts with others outside the platform for years. With this feature, Spotify wants users to do more within the app while also keeping the history of shared content, so users don’t have to search for a song. Messages are only one-on-one, and you can only start a chat with someone with whom you have previously shared content. Th

The Mysterious Shortwave Radio Station Stoking US-Russia Nuclear Fears

Shortly after US president Donald Trump hung up a call with Russia’s Vladimir Putin this spring, an obscure shortwave radio channel, broadcasting from a military base somewhere in Russia, sprang to life. Through a fog of static, at 4625 kHz on the shortwave dial, a man’s voice spoke in monotone: “Nikolai, Zhenya, Tatiana, Ivan.” He repeats the message—spelled out in the Russian phonetic alphabet—followed by a series of numbers and letters. The whole message reads: “NZhTI 01263 BOLTANKA 4430 952

Leaving Gmail for Mailbox.org

This was a tough decision, having used Gmail since 2007/2008. However, I had to draw the line and stop giving Google my data for free. The problem with email is that everything is transmitted in plain text. Technically, Google can store every message you receive and know everything, and U.S. agencies can request access to that data (this include also EU citizens under the EU-U.S. and Swiss-U.S. Data Privacy Frameworks). For someone like me, who cares about privacy and runs as much as possible

Away from Gmail, Leaving Gmail for Mailbox.org

This was a tough decision, having used Gmail since 2007/2008. However, I had to draw the line and stop giving Google my data for free. The problem with email is that everything is transmitted in plain text. Technically, Google can store every message you receive and know everything, and U.S. agencies can request access to that data (this include also EU citizens under the EU-U.S. and Swiss-U.S. Data Privacy Frameworks). For someone like me, who cares about privacy and runs as much as possible

5 apps you should use instead of Messenger

Edgar Cervantes / Android Authority Messenger is one of the most popular messaging services around, especially in the US, but it has its faults. Group chats, for example, are not end-to-end encrypted by default, meaning the company that runs it — Meta — can technically read your messages. And since Meta owns it, we can assume it collects a lot of user information that’s then used for targeted ads, just like most big tech companies do. Users also criticize the app for being bloated, as it has e

No time for voicemails? This Pixel 10 feature has you covered

TL;DR Google Phone app users are getting a new feature called “Take a Message.” This feature separates missed or declined calls from spam calls. The app will provide a real-time transcription of the caller’s message and suggestions for next steps to take. Missed calls happen, whether you’re away from your phone or you didn’t hear the ring. And you’re not always in a position to listen to a voicemail. Still, you probably want to know why that person reached out. Even if you declined the call,

iPhone users may finally be able to send encrypted texts to Android friends with iOS 26

Lance Whitney / Elyse Betters Picaro / ZDNET ZDNET's key takeaways Encrypted text messages may finally reach iPhone users with iOS 26. Code in the beta version of iOS 26 reveals strings for RCS encryption. With encryption, texts between iOS and Android will be more secure. Get more in-depth ZDNET tech coverage: Add us as a preferred Google source on Chrome and Chromium browsers. With the release of iOS 18 in 2024, iPhone users were finally able to exchange rich text messages with their And

iMessage gets a new Drafts folder in iOS 26

The iPhone Messages app on iOS 26 gets a bunch of new filtering features, primarily targeted around dealing with spam and junk texts. But it also gets some filters that are generally useful too. For the first time, iMessage has a dedicated Drafts folder. This filters the conversation list to show only threads where you have a partly-written message. These new capabilities are exposed through a new filter button found at the top-right of the screen. This menu includes common sections like Messa

You can delete sent text messages on Android now - here's how

Elyse Betters Picaro / ZDNET ZDNET's key takeaways Google Messages now lets you delete a sent text message. A deleted message disappears for the other person immediately. The feature is available now for almost all Android users. Get more in-depth ZDNET tech coverage: Add us as a preferred Google source on Chrome and Chromium browsers. Android users finally have an undo option. A long-awaited feature that lets you delete a sent text message is widely rolling out to most Android devices --

The Lives and Loves of James Baldwin

An interviewer once asked James Baldwin if he’d ever write something without a message. “No writer who ever lived,” Baldwin said, “could have written a line without a message.” This is true. People write because they have something to say. Baldwin had something to say, and he spent his life saying it. But many who thought they got his message didn’t get it at all. Baldwin was high-strung and emotionally labile. He wasn’t exactly charismatic—there was a strangeness about him which he did nothing

Google Messages support for remotely deleting texts you’ve sent now widely rolling out

Edgar Cervantes / Android Authority TL;DR RCS support has opened the door for some advanced messaging features, and earlier this year Google started work on a new remote-deletion option. Users are able to delete recently sent messages from the phones of recipients. After beta testing this past spring, we’re now seeing the feature widely available. Who doesn’t love a good do-over? Everybody makes mistakes, and we don’t have nearly enough opportunities to go back and try setting things right.

Latest Google Messages bug gives you two or three app icons (Update: Fixed!)

Edgar Cervantes / Android Authority TL;DR A bug in the new Google Messages beta, version v20250811, is causing users to see two or even three app icons in their app drawer. The bug affects only beta users. All icons launch the same app, so their functionality is the same. Google has since updated its messaging app to address the issue. Update: August 15, 2025 (6:07 AM ET): It looks like the latest Google Messages beta (v20250813) has addressed this duplicate app icon issue. Some Reddit users

Google Messages can now blur nude images on Android

Google is rolling out a new safety feature for the Messages app on Android. As spotted by 9to5Google , the company is making Sensitive Content Warnings more broadly available after beta testing the option since April . Google announced it last October. The feature can detect and blur images that include nudity. However, it’ll only work if you’re signed into a Google Account in the Messages app. When Messages detects and blurs such an image, you will be able to choose between several actions. Y

Google Messages now ensures you don’t get flashed without your consent

Edgar Cervantes / Android Authority TL;DR Google Messages will now automatically blur NSFW photos that you receive or send. It will show warnings before opening any explicit media shared with you to ensure you approve of it. It will also warn you of the risks of sending such photos before you do. All processing takes place locally on your device, so none of the private media is sent to Google. The outpouring of multimedia junk, thanks to RCS, in Android’s default Messages app has inspired G

Latest Google Messages bug gives you two (or three) app icons

Edgar Cervantes / Android Authority TL;DR A bug in the new Google Messages beta, version v20250811, is causing users to see two or even three app icons in their app drawer. The bug affects only beta users. All icons launch the same app, so their functionality is the same. Google Messages is the default messaging app on Android flagships, and most users will stick to the stable version since that is what ships on their phone. If you’re an enthusiast, you may have opted to test the beta version

Convo-Lang: LLM Programming Language and Runtime

Convo-Lang >_ The language of AI Convo-Lang is an open source AI-native programming language and ecosystem designed specifically for building powerful, structured prompts and agent workflows for large language models (LLMs) like GPT-4, Claude, Llama, DeepSeek, and more. Instead of just writing prompts as freeform English, you use Convo-Lang to: Define multi-step conversations between users and LLM agents, with full control of the narrative. between users and LLM agents, with full control of

Got a weird security text from T-Mobile? It’s genuine, but you’re right to worry

Edgar Cervantes / Android Authority TL;DR T-Mobile is sending users an SMS asking them to update their PIN, email, and security questions. Subscribers are rightly worried about the legitimacy of the text that includes a clickable link. While the text is very much from T-Mobile, it’s making users uneasy thanks to text scams that have become so common these days. Many T-Mobile customers are reporting that they’ve received a text message asking them to update their PIN, email, and security ques

Not everyone is happy about new CarPlay in iOS 26

We’ve covered the new CarPlay experience in iOS 26 a lot over the summer. There’s a lot of excitement for a lot of the changes, but it turns out not everyone loves the complete experience. On 512 Pixels, Stephen Hackett details four issues he has with the new Messages experience in CarPlay with iOS 26. One of his complaints is about name truncation. That’s something I find deeply relatable as I basically have an allergy to unnecessary truncation. The Settings app on my Mac will often truncate “

Even the lowly canister vacuum now wants access to your Wi-Fi network

is a senior reporter who’s been covering and reviewing the latest gadgets and tech since 2006, but has loved all things electronic since he was a kid. Posts from this author will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed. Despite the convenience of cordless stick vacs, canister vacuums are still very much a thing for those with battery anxiety or those who want a lighter cleaner. Miele still offers over 20 different models of canister vacs in the US, but its latest is the comp

How I got another 15GB of Gmail storage at no cost (and without losing old files)

Elyse Betters Picaro / ZDNET Every new Google email account comes with 15GB of free storage -- a solid offer at no cost. However, that space can fill up fast, especially since it also covers files in Google Drive and Google Photos. If your inbox is cluttered with unread newsletters and sneaky spam, there's a way to clean house without losing important messages. With the right approach, you can preserve what matters while giving yourself a fresh start. Also: Gmail is making it a whole lot easi

Samsung Messages hints at satellite support, but should you get your hopes up? (APK teardown)

Ryan Haines / Android Authority TL;DR Users found references to Satellite Messaging in the Samsung Messages app. However, the checked version of the app is old. The relevant code was actually added back in December 2024 and hasn’t changed since. There’s no indication that active feature development is underway, so don’t get your hopes up for satellite messaging. In January, Samsung reiterated that it was sunsetting Samsung Messages and moving users to Google Messages. Those who don’t wish to

What Actually Happens If You Sign Up for One of Those Scammy "Online Jobs" Is Pretty Fascinating

Have you been getting unprompted text messages promising "high-paying jobs" or "easy money" for what sounds like suspiciously little work? If so, you're not alone. Job scam texts have proliferated over the past few years, thanks to increasingly sophisticated robotexting tech, lagging regulatory responses, and a cryptocurrency industry run amok. While the levelheaded among us tend to ignore or block these messages, one enterprising journalist decided to go down the rabbit hole and sign up with