WhatsApp had been planning to introduce a feature called "Community"; however, someone leaked the underdevelopment, WABetainfo reported Monday.
"We wanted to wait for some screenshots to introduce it," it said on its official Twitter handle.
Someone leaked "Community", under development for WhatsApp. We wanted to wait for some screenshots to introduce it. Community is a way for users to organize their WhatsApp groups better. Nothing more, it's not something like Twitter and Facebook. Updates will be following soon...
According to WABetaInfo, the community feature is a way for users to organise their WhatsApp groups better.
However, addressing the rumours that this feature is like Twitter,
WABetaInfo — the main independent portal where you can discover the news and real-time updates about WhatsApp — said: "It is not something like Twitter and Facebook."
The portal added that more details of the feature will be revealed soon.
Marketing the trick to read deleted WhatsApp messages might be seen as concerning to many users but one can look back at any messages, embarrassing or not, they quickly deleted. Try the steps below if you do.
What is a deleted message?
You can delete messages instantly from both individual chats and from groups no matter if you’re using on Android or on iOS phones.
It comes with the condition that recipients are told “this message was deleted”, which can be triggering.
But this message even after being deleted by the sender is stored on the phone, and can be seen using WhatsApp’s backup feature.
How do I read deleted messages?
If you’re really desperate and impatient to read that deleted message(s), you need to first uninstall WhatsApp and then re-install it and restore chats from backup.
Simply select the restore option and your chats will be restored, including deleted messages, which are shown as if they were never removed.
Also, there are various third party apps that you have to have installed in your phone before that message was deleted. So it’s like preemptive action. These apps record all your chats and do not acknowledge the sender’s right to delete them.
Apps like Notification History Log and Notification Log show you all of the notifications stored in your gadget’s notification register.
But the apps do have their limitations: You have to have interacted with the notification to read it.
Nevertheless, this has the security hazard because you’re allowing apps to read into your personal space only so you can have an eye on some deleted messages.
Google and Microsoft released their latest OS updates this week. While Android 12 is yet to roll out to most users, Windows 11 is now generally available on compatible devices. Considering the XDA community is chock full of early adopters, it won’t be wrong of us to assume that many of you have already installed the updates on your devices. If that’s the case, which of the two updates do you think was the bigger and better release?
Before you answer that question, let’s take a quick look at some of the cool new features included in the latest software releases from Google and Microsoft.
Android 12
Image Credit: XDA
Android 12 is undoubtedly one of the most significant updates to the Android operating system in years. It brings a ton of new features and changes, including a massive Material You redesign, scrolling screenshot support, a native one-handed mode, and a Game dashboard. It also brings several privacy and security improvements, like the new Privacy dashboard and the camera and microphone indicators.
In addition, Android 12 brings with several new widgets, a better auto-rotate system, URL/image sharing support in the recent apps overview, a new Internet panel, stretch overscrolling effects, app launch splash screens, and much more. While it’s still too early to say how Android 12 will perform on Google’s Pixel phones and devices from other manufacturers, we already know quite a bit about the update to decide whether it is a bigger and better upgrade than Windows 11 or not.
Windows 11
Image Credit: XDA
Microsoft’s latest software release is also a pretty significant upgrade over the previous version. Like Android 12, Windows 11 also brings some massive design changes. It also includes a boatload of new features, including Android app support (which isn’t live in the current release), updates for several stock apps, and gaming improvements. Furthermore, Windows 11 packs a revamped Microsoft Store, Snap Layouts and Snap Groups, and new widgets.
While Windows 11 also brings a ton of other smaller changes, it also suffers from some issues. Since it has already started rolling out to users, we’ve seen several reports claiming that early users are facing performance issues on AMD CPUs, gaming performance has taken a hit, etc. Although we can’t say that Android 12 won’t face similar problems when it reaches more users, the chances of that happening are rather slim.
Windows 11 review: Fixing the wrongs of the past decade
Android 12 or Windows 11: Which is the bigger and better upgrade?
Keeping all these things in mind, which one do you think was the bigger and better upgrade? Can you think of any other reasons to pick one over the other? Or are you of the opinion that one shouldn’t draw a comparison between the two? Share your thoughts in the comments section below!
Social media giant Facebook and its founder Mark Zuckerberg became a laughing stock at Saturday Night Live’s Weekend Update segment.
Hosts Colin Jost and Michael Che didn’t hold themselves back in ridiculing the company after an eventful week at the Facebook HQs over a whistleblower’s revelations about the firm and the application facing an outage as well.
“This week we found out that sometimes a guy in a hoodie actually can be dangerous,” begam Jost.
Jost—also a Harvard graduate like Zuckerberg—said he was at the Ivy League school around the same time as the young tech mogul in 2004.
"I feel terrible. Sometimes I wish I had a time machine so I could go back to college and find Mark and say, ‘hey man!… Can I be part of your company?" he said.
"Which explains their rival’s new slogan, ‘TikTok, bring your fat [expletive] over here," he quipped.
Che chimed in to the mockery of Facebook, saying: "This week, Instagram was down for an entire day, forcing many Instagram addicts to fill their time with Twitter, TikTok or hosting ‘SNL,’" he said, subtly pulling guest host Kim Kardashian’s leg.
Google has never really given ‘inferior’ treatment to iPhone users when it comes to its apps and services. Some app features, in fact, get to iPhone users first before Android smartphone users. Having said that, the Google experience on iPhone can be better and it’s something the company is working on. According to a report by 9to5Mac, staff engineering lead for Google Design on Apple platforms Jeff Verkoeyen, explained this in a long Twitter thread.
Verkoeyen said in a series of tweets that “as we continued on the pursuit of cross-platform pixel parity, our iOS components were slowly drifting further and further from Apple platform fundamentals because those fundaments were also evolving year over year.”
He further said that what Google realised is that how it approached the design for Apple platforms allowed it to “marry the best of UIKit with the highlights of Google's design language.” UIKit being the user interface kit that enables Google to maintain or provide a specific user interface across it apps.
As a result, “app bars become UINavigationControllers. Standard controls just need light branded touches,” explained the engineering lead for Google design. He further said, “Simplification, while still affording distinction where it matters.”
Verkoeyen said that with the introductio
n of SwiftUI and significant UIKit improvements in iOS 14+, “it's never been easier to build a great branded experience with a tiny amount of code.”
Google is not really making custom code for Apple platforms but is rather “now invested in the long tail of UX details that really make products feel great on Apple platforms.”
Google has been quick to update its apps to have better integration with iOS 15. For instance, it has updated Google apps to work with Focus mode and make notifications as relevant and timely as possible. “For example, if you’re navigating somewhere with Google Maps, we’ll still let you know when you need to make a turn or if there are changes to your route — like road closures or unexpected traffic. Focus mode won’t silence these helpful, timely reminders,” Google explained.
Disney and Marvel's Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings continues to outperform expectations at the box office, sailing past $400 million worldwide. The Phase 4 MCU movie is in its sixth weekend since its release, which was back on September 3. Shang-Chi was an immediate success upon release, grossing $29.6 million at the box office on its opening day, which was the third-best opening day during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Shang-Chi would go on to take the crown of the largest Labor Day weekend opening ever. The Disney film earned over $94 million at the box office during the 4-day weekend, far surpassing Rob Zombie's 2007 Halloween reboot which previously held the Labor Day opening weekend crown at $30.6 million. Shang-Chi ended up earning $100 million in just five days, making it the fastest to film to reach such a milestone since Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. The film held the number one spot at the box office for four consecutive weekends, marking it as the third MCU movie to pull off such a feat behind Guardians of the Galaxy and Black Panther. By September 30, Shang-Chi hit another box office record by becoming the first pandemic era movie to achieve the $200 million box office milestone, and it seems the film has just surpassed another one.
Forbes reports that Marvel's Shang-Chi sailed past the $400 million milestone at the global box office in the sixth weekend since its release. During the past weekend, the film grossed an additional $4.2 million for a domestic total of over $212 million, setting it up for a final domestic gross between $220 million and $225 million. The film has also earned over $189 million in other territories, including the United Kingdom, South Korea, and France.
One of the reasons Shang-Chi's performance is so notable is the fact that its international box office does not include China, since the movie has yet to release in the Middle Kingdom. Owing to comments the film's star, Simu Liu, made in a CBC 2017 interview that referenced negative aspects about his parents living in China, the Chinese government excluded Shang-Chi from their list of upcoming MCU movies scheduled to release in its territories. This is particularly noteworthy because Disney's latest film passed the $400 million global box office milestone without the help of a Chinese release, making it the first pandemic-era Hollywood movie to do so. This has led many to speculate on how well Shang-Chi could have performed if it was allowed to release in China.
While Disney was a little reluctant in releasing Black Widow, releasing the movie to both theaters and Disney+, they went all in on Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, allowing for an in-theater only debut. The film has clearly been a success, outperforming all expectations, signaling that audiences may be ready to head back to the movies. The movie's success not only ensures a sequel is in the works, but it will be interesting to see how a follow-up film performs when it releases in a post-pandemic era.
If xXx 4 wants to evolve the series, it should take a page out of The Fast And The Furious playbook and bring in some of Xander Cage's family. The original xXx was custom built for Vin Diesel as a star vehicle, following the surprise success of 2001's The Fast And The Furious. Plans to turn it into a James Bond-style series came to halt when the star passed on a sequel, with Ice Cube taking over for State Of The Union in 2005. This follow-up was a box-office dud, but Diesel was later lured back for 2017's The Return Of Xander Cage.
While that appeared to right the ship, xXx 4 has been delayed due to lawsuits. Despite being one of Diesel's most well-known franchises, he's only played Cage twice over a 20-year span. Compared to his run as Dom in the Fast & Furious movies - who throughout that series has evolved from street racer to saving the world multiple times - has barely scratched the surface of Cage as a character. Outside of his fondness for tattoos and extreme sports, there's not much depth to Xander.
xXx 4 doesn't have to go to Shakespearian depths to get under Cage's skin, but he could use some fleshing out. Given the popularity of the ongoing Fast And Furious saga, the next xXx could dig into his past and explore some of his family ties. Outside of briefly mentioning an aunt in the original movie, the xXx series hasn't revealed much about Cage's clan and a sequel that sees him connect with his family could bring some emotional heft to the movies.
Given that F9 focused on Dom going head to head - and eventually somewhat reconciling - with his estranged brother Jakob (John Cena), maybe that's too familiar a beat for xXx 4. That said, a younger brother or sister he barely knows, or even a son or daughter he's never met, could be one direction to explore. Given that Xander's taste for mayhem is one of his defining traits, a xXx4 where he has to connect with or somewhat keep a child of his own under control has potential.
xXx 4 will likely carry on from the events of The Return Of Xander Cage and see the title spy working with his fellow former agents like Cube's Darius Stone. The series is ultimately going for more over the top thrills than the more recent James Bond movies, but it wouldn't hurt to have a little bit of heart mixed in. The next sequel doesn't have to be a straight rip of the Fast And Furious formula, but a Xander Cage family member or two could give some more stakes to the saga.
It's not too often that astronomers are at a loss for words when making a space-related discovery, but the above image from NASA's Hubble telescope managed to do precisely that. Of all the tools at our disposal for exploring outer space, Hubble has repeatedly proven to be one of the best. The 31-year-old telescope has made countless discoveries over the years, whether it be answering questions about our own Solar System or investigating galaxies millions of light-years away.
In 2021 alone, Hubble has been up to a lot. It's captured a large 'eye' in the middle of a constellation, learned new information about Jupiter's Great Red Spot, and even identified a 'ghost' galaxy utterly devoid of dark matter. All of this has happened despite a scare earlier this year — one that caused Hubble to go offline for a month due to a nasty computer glitch.
NASA just shared one of Hubble's latest discoveries, and it may be one of the most head-scratching of the entire year. Looking at the photo above, all seems pretty normal at first. The picture shows a large cluster of galaxies deep in space, with Hubble focusing on two of them. The first one, labeled 'single image,' is a run-of-the-mill galaxy with a bright center and numerous stars surrounding it. Where things get interesting is with the galaxy labeled 'mirrored image.' Not only does it look like a galaxy mirroring itself, but it's also a copy of the 'single image' galaxy above it. In other words, there are three sightings of the same galaxy for no apparent reason. After first spotting the 'double' galaxy in 2013, astronomer Timothy Hamilton admitted he and his team "were really stumped."
If it sounds impossible for there to be three instances of the exact same galaxy, that's because it is. What's really happening here is something called 'gravitational lensing' — a visual trick that occurs when a large amount of matter distorts light from other galaxies. Gravitational lensing is a fairly well-known thing today, but in 2013 when Hamilton discovered these perplexing galaxies, that wasn't the case.
In this particular situation, NASA explains the lensing as follows: "A precise alignment between a background galaxy and a foreground galaxy cluster produces twin magnified copies of the same image of the remote galaxy. This rare phenomenon occurs because the background galaxy straddles a ripple in the fabric of space." Another way to think about it is like wavy reflections present in a swimming pool. When the afternoon sun is shining bright on an outdoor pool, the light from the sun appears on the bottom of it with swirling, wavy reflections. As Richard Griffiths from the University of Hawaii explains, "The ripples on the surface act as partial lenses and focus sunlight into bright squiggly patterns on the bottom."
This is essentially what's happening in the image at the top of this article, albeit on a much larger scale. A ripple in space is taking light from the single image galaxy, magnifying and distorting it, and that's what's seen with the mirrored image galaxy. That's a great oversimplification of all the science and research that went into getting to this answer, but that's ultimately how the photo is explained. If anything, it's a great reminder of how much we still have to learn about space. In just 8 years, astronomers went from not understanding this photo to having a logical explanation for it. In the next 8, 16, or 32 years, who knows what other mysteries we'll also have answers to.
The latest Dead by Daylight survivor in need of a strategy guide, Mikaela Reid, will be arriving in the game on October 19 along with the update for chapter 21.5. The next chapter in Dead by Daylight, Hour of the Witch, is predictably based around a Halloween theme.
Mikaela Reid looks like a character plucked straight out of a Halloween movie: black attire, long, red hair, funky glasses, and a hat fit for a witch. Mikaela’s backstory involves her father dying when she was 16, leading her down a path of witchcraft and the occult.
Mikaela has three perks unique to her character in Dead by Daylight. Like all the characters in the game, Mikaela’s survivor perks can be used to gain an advantage over the killer. Mikaela’s perks are all centered around totems, similar to the Killer The Hag's Hex Totems when she was released. Traditionally, only Killers could use Totems to make survival more difficult. Hex Totem effects remain until a Survivor cleanses the totem. Mikaela's abilities allow her to bless and use totems, including Hex Totems, turning them into Boon Totems that benefit the whole Survivor team.
Clairvoyance: This is an intrinsic energy in a Survivor that sees beyond their vision. Clairvoyance activates whenever a Survivor cleanses a Totem. When empty-handed, hold the Ability button to unlock full aura-reading potential. For up to 10 seconds, Survivors can see the auras of exit gate switches, generators, hooks, and chests within a 64-meter range. Teachable at Level 30.
Boon: Circle of Healing: A boon that offers comfort amidst the terror. Press and hold the Ability button near a Dull or Hex Totem to bless it and create a Boon Totem. Soft chimes ring out in a 28-meter range. Any Survivors within the Boon Totem’s range gain a 100% healing speed bonus and can heal themselves without needing a Med-Kit or Perk. Survivors can only bless one Totem at a time. All equipped boon Perks are active on each Boon Totem. Teachable at Level 35.
Boon: Shadow Step: A boon that conceals the truth. Press and hold the Ability button near a Dull or Hex Totem to bless it and create a Boon Totem. Soft chimes ring out in a 28-meter range. Any Survivors within the Boon Totem’s range will have their scratch marks and auras hidden to the Killer. This effect lingers for 4 seconds after leaving the Boon Totem’s range. Survivors can only bless one Totem at a time. All equipped boon Perks are active on each Boon Totem. Teachable at Level 40.
Boon: Circle of Healing and Boon: Shadow Step are immensely useful for group play. If players are near a Circle of Healing Boon Totem, they can all heal themselves at 200% healing speed without a Med-Kit. Using this ability after unhooking a teammate and losing the killer can make the getaway much smoother.
Using Boon: Shadow Step can also make a getaway smoother. Players’ scratch marks and auras become hidden near this totem, which conceals fleeing players’ movements. Lastly, Clairvoyance is a straightforward ability. Players should use Clairvoyance when they have an opportunity and keep moving afterward. Seeking out a totem for Clairvoyance is not particularly useful, so Survivors can instead simply activate it when the opportunity arises. Whether players are playing Dead By Daylight solo or with friends, Mikaela is a great addition to the Survivor team.
While Squid Game has become Netflix’s latest hit, it has sparked worry over kids potentially replicating the survival game.
A primary school in England issued a letter to parents expressing concern that children that have watched the brutal show are pretending to shoot other children in the playground as a way of re-enacting the show.
The letter states: "Dear Parents/Carers, It has come to our attention that a number of our children are watching Squid Game on Netflix.
"We have noticed an increased number of children starting to play their own versions of this game in the playground - which in turn is causing conflict within friendship groups.
"Children who are watching this are being exposed to graphic realistic scenes of violence and sadly children are acting out this behaviours in the playground which will not be TOLERATED.
"I would like to make you aware that this programme is rated a 15 for a reason.
"IT IS NOT APPROPRIATE FOR PRIMARY SCHOOL AGED CHILDREN. Any child who mimics or demonstrates these behaviours, parents will be called upon and sanctions applied. Please be aware of the dangers of this TV programme for your children and reinforce positive behaviours.
"Also please explicitly share that pretending to shoot one another is not appropriate - nor acceptable. Please support us in keeping your children safe," the letter concluded.
