A Hacker News 'Ask HN' post asks the community how they convinced non-technical family and friends to switch from SMS/WhatsApp to self-hosted XMPP or Matrix servers. The poster, a developer who tested self-hosting both protocols for a week, says the client UX felt worse than expected and found no app offering a simple SMS-like replacement. They note the main practical selling point is more consistent cross-platform messaging compared to SMS's degraded experience between iOS and Android users.
news.ycombinator.com
· 2026-11-07
An Android Authority writer describes using Google One's built-in Storage Manager tool to clean up nearly 4GB of old photos, large email attachments, spam, and bin items rather than paying for extra cloud storage. The tool, accessible via Drive, Photos, or the web, sorts clutter into categories like large documents, spam emails, and bin contents to simplify cleanup.
androidauthority.com
· 2026-11-06
WhatsApp is rolling out a new AI-powered image expansion feature, letting users expand photos beyond their original borders within the app's drawing editor using Meta AI. The tool is currently limited to select TestFlight beta testers and some users on the public iOS app, and also works with status updates.
9to5mac.com
· 2026-11-06
WhatsApp announced four new features for group chats: a 'Mentions and replies' filter to surface unread messages where a user was tagged or replied to, the option to pin messages indefinitely instead of for a set period, the ability to retroactively share recent messages with new members by tapping their name, and group-specific status updates visible only to members of that group. The company said the rollout will happen gradually rather than all at once.
9to5mac.com
· 2026-10-30
Google Photos has resolved a bug that caused edited photos to disappear from apps like WhatsApp, Telegram, Google Messages, and Gemini, even though the images remained visible in the Photos gallery itself. APKMirror founder Artem Russakovskii reported the issue to Google, which confirmed and tested the fix in Google Photos version 7.97.
androidauthority.com
· 2026-10-30
Android Authority reports that Google's Pixel VIPs widget has been significantly upgraded, becoming more interactive with a new full-screen layout showing more contact information. Despite calling the update an improvement over the original Android 16 version, the outlet identifies several shortcomings, including limited third-party app support beyond WhatsApp and no ability to search notes attached to contacts.
androidauthority.com
· 2026-10-26
Apple's CarPlay bell icon signals that Siri is set to automatically read incoming messages aloud from first- and third-party apps. Users can adjust this behavior in iPhone Settings under Notifications > Announce Notifications > CarPlay, choosing to always announce, always silence, or remember the previous setting.
engadget.com
· 2026-10-25
An Android Authority writer switched from Google Messages to QUIK, an open-source SMS app descended from the discontinued QKSMS, after growing frustrated with Google Messages' rigid spam filter. The writer says Google Messages often misflags legitimate texts from banks and carriers as spam while letting real scam messages through, with no settings to adjust the behavior. QUIK, available via F-Droid, is described as a basic but functional SMS-only app without RCS support.
androidauthority.com
· 2026-10-25
Sleeping Giants Brasil and CTRL+Z filed new evidence with Brazil's Superior Electoral Court alleging Meta's Instagram and WhatsApp tools continue to favor Sen. Flávio Bolsonaro's campaign over President Lula's, despite a prior court order requiring equal treatment. The groups cite GIF searches, hashtag rankings and Meta AI responses that surfaced Bolsonaro imagery and linked Lula to derogatory content, and they asked Justice Marco Aurélio Bellizze to force fixes within 24 hours and enforce an existing R$500,000 daily fine.
panamericandispatch.org
· 2026-10-25
WhatsApp has begun rolling out a scheduled messages feature to select iOS beta testers, according to WABetaInfo, following its earlier debut on Android beta. Users can tap and hold the send button to open a date and time picker, scheduling messages from 10 minutes up to two weeks ahead, with confirmations visible only to the sender.
9to5mac.com
· 2026-10-23
Meta Platforms disclosed in its third-quarter earnings report that it plans to split its stock by introducing a new class of non-voting shares. The company said the change is set to take effect in 2027.
fastcompany.com
· 2026-10-22
WABetaInfo found code in WhatsApp's latest TestFlight build indicating the app is extending its in-app browser beyond business links to all links shared in chats. A new 'In-app browser' toggle under Settings > Chats would let users choose whether links open inside WhatsApp or their default browser, with options to clear cookies and cached data. The feature is not yet live for beta testers and has no announced rollout date.
9to5mac.com
· 2026-10-20
GoKawiil