In the past, WhatsApp users could hide their’ last seen online’ status; however, this feature was rather limited. This feature will still show if the user was online at that moment – not the best if you don’t have the time (or energy) to respond to someone immediately. Now, they’ve finally taken this a step further.
WhatsApp already features end-to-end encryption and Meta CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, claims this provides users with greater privacy for their messages. Now they’re going a step further to prove user privacy’s importance by rolling out a new feature that lets users decide who can see their status.
This will give users much more control over who sees their status. A feature like this was rumored about four months ago, but now it’s a reality and coming to all devices. This feature isn’t just an on-off type feature like the original ‘last seen online’ one but will give users much more options.
Users can decide to hide their status from everyone, their contacts only, selected individuals, or nobody (default). To enable this feature, you simply navigate to ‘Settings’ and then ‘Privacy.’ Now, you’ll be able to set control over who sees your last seen, profile photo, bio, and status information.
This is the most recent in a line of updates and new features for WhatsApp. These features include calling links and more for WhatsApp on iOS, being able to view polls on Windows, zooming in and out of photos, and much more.
If you’ve ever used Instagram for any length of time, you’ll likely know what a schlep it is to get a proper post-scheduling setup going. You need to head to your favorite app store, pick up a dedicated app, and then use that in conjunction with the official Instagram utility to get your posts out at the optimal time. Posting at the optimal time means higher engagement with your posts – and we all know that the most important aspect of modern life is a sufficient social media following.
However, the arduous reality of having to use an excessive two whole apps to schedule posts is potentially at an end. Meta is messing with a way to do it all from the Instagram app. This is life-changing to anyone who knows the struggle of clamoring for relevance online by essentially petitioning other people to like and pay attention to them.
‘We are testing the ability to schedule content with a percentage of our global community.’ These are the sentiments of a Meta spokesperson who recently spoke about the massively popular photo and video-sharing platform. This, of course, means that only a small sample of users will be able to access this feature, leaving the rest stumbling around from dedicated app to dedicated app for a short while longer.
Meta has yet to announce a release date for this highly-anticipated feature. However, users have had access to a similar feature since 2020 through the Facebook Creator Studio. This, unfortunately, serves no purpose for those who don’t have access to the dedicated social media management utility.
A prototype of the new Instagram feature was spotted first by Alessandro Paluzzi, a mobile developer and app researcher. He uncovered the feature in July 2022 but informed publications at the time that the feature was simply an ‘early prototype of an experience that we are not publicly testing.’
In other mildly concerning Instagram news, a recent AI development has proved that artificial intelligence can track you using only your Instagram posts. I’d say, ‘be careful what you post,’ but society is already so reliant on social media that it would serve no purpose to start being mindful of what we share now.
Niantic recently revealed their plans for the Pokemon GO Halloween event. What better way than ringing in the spooky season with a special two-part event? Phase one of the Pokemon GO event is already underway and will continue until October 27th. Part two is scheduled from then until November 1st, and the event details have just been released.
During phase two of the spooktacular Halloween celebration, Pokemon Go players will see debuts of Pokemon wearing costumes. Players might encounter Vulpix, Ninetails, Gengar, Pumpkaboo, and Gorgeist in spooky festival clothes.
The event will also see unique timed research and special research requests. The timed requests will require tickets to activate and have various benefits, such as increased candy bonuses and more. The special research requests will give you encounters with Yamask and Galarian Yamask.
Players will also notice more encounters with ghost and dark-type Pokemon like Zubat, Haunter, Spinarak, Murkrow, Misdreavus, Sableye, Shuppet, Dusclops, and Yamask. They’ll also have a much higher chance of hatching a shiny Noibat from 7km eggs, and the chances of hatching a shiny variety will be much better than catching one in the wild.
One-star raids will feature encounters with Sableye, Purrloin, Yamask, Galariam Yamask, and Phantump. Two-star raids will include encounters with a dressed-up Gengar, Umbreon, dressed-up Drifblim, Drapion, and Phantump. Five-star raids will include encounters with Origin Forme Giratina, while mega-raids will feature Mega Banette.
This event will also feature Avatar updates, including movement being added to the Spooky pose. Some of the new Avatar items will include a Zubat headband, Dusclops costume, and headwrap.
On Thursday, Facebook announced a slew of new features for its Groups utility at its sixth Facebook Communities Summit. Groups are an incredibly popular part of the Facebook ecosystem. Thus, Meta has decided to bring in numerous new features, such as extended moderation options, Reels, and so much more.
As anticipated, Reels is by far the biggest change coming to your Facebook Groups. For those of you not consumed by the social media-saturated culture within which we currently find ourselves, Reels are a form of short video format intended to give TikTok a little bit of a run for its People’s Republic of China-scented money. Reels are recorded vertically, much like selfies. Reels aren’t new to the Facebook ecosystem on the whole, but users will now be able to view and share them within groups.
Facebook’s upper echelons are understandably excited about the addition of Reels. ‘Reels in Groups let you express your voice in your communities through creative and immersive videos. […] Imagine people in a makeup-obsessed group sharing their latest techniques and beauty finds with fellow members. Group admins and members can also add creative elements such as audio, text overlay and filters on top of their videos before sharing to bring their stories to life.’
Users will even be able to add visual effects, such as filters, to their reels, ensuring that the practice of only ever portraying the facade of a perfect life, flawless skin, and uncompromised mental health on social media remains untarnished and unaffected.
Reels aren’t the only new feature coming to Facebook Groups, though. Moderators will also now have an easier time regulating and verifying posts marked as fake news by ‘third-party fact-checkers’ with a new function called Admin Assist. There’s also a new points system to reward individuals actively participating in their community. In other words, you’ll be rewarded if you download Facebook, post to Facebook, and react and respond to posts on Facebook. That’s what ‘your community’ translates to in 2022.
In other news, Facebook may be watching your every move to build an addictive matrix of your likes and dislikes so that you never see content that you won’t interact with, but fake Facebook apps are even worse. Meta has issued a warning that fake Facebook apps are stealing users’ passwords.
We recently reported on Microsoft’s annual event, Ignite. Ignite 2022 brought a plethora of announcements from the tech giant, including the brand-new Microsoft 365 app. If you missed our previous news piece on the topic, Microsoft 365 will replace Office 365 as Microsoft’s dedicated productivity suite.
Now, in the previous article, we quoted Microsoft as saying that nothing major will change in the move from the Office app to the 365 app. However, the most recent information on the subject paints a very different picture. We joked in the last article that the only aspects that change between the two apps are a new icon and a new-look interface. As it turns out, a lot more changes are happening.
Microsoft released a video in which it explains the 365 app. The video is incredibly short, at only 55 seconds in length, so don’t expect terribly much information. However, it does highlight a few key elements of the app:
You’ll be able to search for files according to by whom they were shared
You’ll also be able to create new content easily with new pre-designed templates
The app will act as a hub for all your productivity apps, be they Microsoft, industry or company-specific, or general third-party apps
You’ll be able to prepare for meetings and see upcoming events and dates of importance with even more ease with the new Feed interface
The Feed interface will also show you updates from individuals you follow
You’ll have quick access to all your most important and recent files
All in all, this new app seems like the slingshot many of us have been looking for in an effort to create a more organized, productive, and intuitive professional environment. However, there’s a caveat. Even though the app is already listed on the Google Play Store, it seems to just be the old Office app. In fact, that’s exactly what it is. Office has now been renamed to Office (Microsoft 365), and, as yet, it features limited functionality compared to those we saw in the video.
Microsoft has said that the Office mobile app, the Office app for Windows, and Office.com will morph into the Microsoft 365 app on their respective devices ‘in the coming months.’ As amazing as the new functionality seems, we don’t have a release date as yet.
WWDC 2022 saw the reveal of macOS Ventura and iOS 16. Subsequent to the event, in September, we saw the official release of iOS 16 and, with it, a whole slew of new Apple devices. However, the macOS Ventura release was delayed to October. We’ll leave the recent news about Apple’s iPhone 14 and its reliability and stability issues for another day, though. For now, we’re focussing on the imminent launch of macOS Ventura.
The latest software for Mac and MacBook devices is officially launching next week Monday, the 24th of October. macOS Ventura, also known as macOS 13, is the next version of Apple’s desk-and-laptop OS. this latest iteration seeks to enhance the continuity between your Mac and your iPhone, so expect your phone to be even more useful soon. One of the expressions of this move toward continuity is that your iPhone will now be able to function as a webcam for your Mac. You’ll also now be able to transfer a FaceTime call from your Mac to your iPhone, or the other way around.
‘macOS Ventura makes the things you do most on Mac even better, with powerful new ways to get more done, share and collaborate in your favorite apps, immerse yourself in next‑level games, and take full advantage of your other devices.’
This statement is particularly true when it comes to iMessage. Just as you can on your iPhone, iMessage users can now also unsend and edit messages sent on macOS. We’re also getting a brand-new update to Mail which lets users finally unsend emails. And if that wasn’t enough, Safari will now support passkeys. Passkeys are a new authentication method that applies to websites and apps and prevents you from having to use a traditional password.
We’ve apparently got loads of other features coming, too, such as new APIs for gaming, Desk View, Stage Manager, and even a redesigned dashboard for the Game Center. The best, in my humble opinion, however, is the fact that with macOS Ventura, Mac will finally have a dedicated built-in weather app. If that isn’t a reason to celebrate, I honestly don’t know what is.
Now, I’ve pretty much mentioned the hardest-hitting features in this article, as we don’t want our news pieces to be too long. However, if you want to peruse our favorite features in macOS Ventura, you’re more than welcome.
Apple and Google have long held a monopoly over successful mobile app stores. However, with mounting regulatory issues on both sides of the metaphorical aisle, both companies have come under scrutiny of late. This, of course, leaves a crevasse through which a third industry giant can sneak its mobile app store – Microsoft after the success of the Xbox store.
Microsoft has set its sights on launching an alternative to the two biggest mobile gaming repositories. However, the company feels that the success of its latest venture rests squarely on the back of its acquisition of Activision Blizzard. The acquisition is currently under investigation by the UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA). As Microsoft asserts, the acquisition would position the planned mobile app store favorably as it could then leverage Activision Blizzard’s IP to make the store more appealing to consumers. The new planned store will be an extension of the Xbox store.
‘Building on Activision Blizzard’s existing communities of gamers, Xbox will seek to scale the Xbox Store to mobile, attracting gamers to a new Xbox Mobile Platform. Shifting consumers away from the Google Play Store and App Store on mobile devices will, however, require a major shift in consumer behavior. Microsoft hopes that by offering well-known and popular content, gamers will be more inclined to try something new.’
Even though Microsoft could easily release its own app store on Android devices, it would be considerably more difficult on iOS. This is due to iOS still being dead-set against side-loading. As a result, Microsoft has had to focus more on browser-based gameplay than a configuration that would require native iOS app streaming.
CMA worries that Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard could give Microsoft a near-monopoly over the console gaming market. However, Microsoft asserts that the mobile gaming market is far larger and more pivotal, at 51% overall popularity. The acquisition and the launch of Microsoft’s own mobile app store would give Microsoft a considerable foothold in the mobile entertainment industry. But this is an industry already dominated by Google and Apple. Some competition would be healthy, and CMA should take that into account as the investigation continues.
It’ll be a while before we have any concrete announcement from Microsoft about the future of the planned Xbox mobile app store or if such a utility comes to pass at all. In the meantime, all we can do is watch and wait. In other Xbox news, the Xbox app will now show you how long it takes to beat your favorite games.
TikTok has been striving to make its platform a healthier place for young members. To this end, it’s letting you indicate that your broadcast is for adults only. Teenagers under 18 years old won’t see the feed appear on the FYP or Live page. It will protect them from seeing behavior or activities inappropriate for their age.
The TikTok news appeared on the official blog, highlighting how the feature will work. Basically, there will be an option to show that your live is only suitable for adults. Once set, teenagers under 18 won’t be able to see your broadcast. That means you can engage with other adults without having to watch your language.
The platform is also raising the age limit for going live and monetizing from 16 to 18. Being a member of TikTok for more than a year to talk about my novels, I’ve seen way too many young children pretending to be of age. It will be interesting to see how the company plans to verify ages when teenagers create accounts.
The safety reminders for content creators are also getting an upgrade. You’ll be able to set keywords for your TikTok live, with the platform removing any comments with them. In this way, you can focus on presenting to your audience without worrying about nasty messages.
The Multi-guest limit has increased to five, so you can have more people with you on your live if you wish. However, this wasn’t as exciting as when TikTok launched a dislike button for when you don’t like a comment, which many users have been testing lately. I’m wondering how so many guests on a live will be to manage when you also have comments to check and respond to.
For those of you who know me well enough already, you knew I would write about this. Konami surprised us all when they announced a Silent Hill Transmission show. We all waited in anticipation for the news after all the rumors over the last year, especially a Silent Hill 2 remake. I can safely say, the company didn’t disappoint. Well, for many of us, anyway.
The first announcement of the live announcement was the Silent Hill 2 remake we were anticipating. It looks like we’re getting fresh visuals while retaining the same “behind-the-shoulder” camera movements. Red Pyramid Head is making a return, of course, and he definitely received a face-lift, so to speak.
The second bit of news is related to the remake. Return to Silent Hill will be Christophe Gans’ second movie, the third in the film series. From the trailer and the teaser poster, it looks like it’s also going to be based on Silent Hill 2. If you recall, we mentioned in a recent article that Gans did an interview about this movie, which is where he leaked news about upcoming Silent Hill games.
So, with what we suspected was coming out of the way, we waited to see what more was on the horizon. Silent Hill Townfall caught us by surprise, but the trailer doesn’t really give too much away. The name suggests it maybe has to do with the time when the town started burning and things went wrong.
Konami then treated us to Silent Hill Ascension. Not much is clear on this title, except for two main points I noted. One, it will be a multiplayer experience where choices are permanent and you can’t reset. Two, the same team that worked on Silent Hill for Dead by Daylight will be involved.
Finally, we heard about Silent Hill f. I’m not sure if that’s going to be the actual name of the game, but that’s what we saw in the trailer. It was an exciting preview of what seems to take place in Japan instead of America. It’s definitely a game I’m looking forward to playing.
The other news had to do with Silent Hill merchandise, but I’m more interested in the games and movie. From all this fuss, it seems there’s a rising interest in my Silent Hill novels I’m working on, specifically the first one. It’s a bit of a crazy day for all of us SH fans, with Facebook groups blowing up with their reactions. Many of them are happy, but there are still those that you can never satisfy and will always find something to be upset about.
As I’m writing this, PlayStation Blog just published an interview with Konami producer, Motoi Okamoto, and Mateusz Lenart, Creative Director of the Bloober Team for the Silent Hill projects. You may want to give that a read for more insight into what’s to come.
The latest Football game from EA Sports, FIFA 23, has many fans of the franchise excited. One of the game’s most popular features is the FIFA 23 Ultimate Team (FUT) mode. While this mode was available in a few of the earlier games, it’s taken to another level in FIFA 23. This mode works similar to a trading card game, and players battle against each other to build the best team. But how do you know if your cards are good? And how can you get new cards without spending too much?
We’ll take a look at some of the subtle hints that you’ve got a good card as well as how you can earn coins in the FIFA 23 to spend on more card packs to build out your deck.
How to see if you’ve got a good card?
Opening packs in FIFA 23 is a game of chance. You may end up with stellar players or ones you’d rather bench. Depending on the packs you get, you may have an increased chance of getting great players. You might even get rare walkout players with an overall rating above 86. Your goal is to build the best team possible, so having a few walkout players in your hand is essential. But how do you spot these cards when opening your deck? Luckily there are a few subtle hints you can look for to know you just got a good card – before even seeing it.
Check for the fireworks
If you open a pack of cards and it contains a special card, like a FUT promo, with an overall rating above 84, there will be a firework animation just before the card is revealed. These special cards are also considered as Walkout because they are so rare. So, if you see fireworks when opening a new pack, it’s time to get excited.
Keep a lookout for the spotlights
If you open a pack and notice the back of the card darkening and spotlights appearing next to it, you can also start jumping for joy. These spotlights signal a card with an overall rating between 83 and 85. While not considered a Walkout, they are still powerful players and well deserving of a place in your deck.
Watch for a Walkout
Finally, the easiest way to see if you got a good card is to keep a lookout for a Walkout. These cards are the rarest and will always have an overall rating higher than 86. When you get this card, a short animation will play of the player walking onto the screen – hence the name.
Ways to get new cards in FIFA 23 Ultimate Team
Like with any trading card game, in order to increase your chances of building the best team, you’ll need to buy multiple packs. There are ways in the game for players to earn coins and stars, which they can spend on packs without actually spending money. These are some of the best ways to work on expanding your deck.
Play Moments mode
Moments is a new feature in FIFA 23 in which players have to complete specific scenarios. When successfully completing a scenario, you’ll earn stars. Once you’ve collected enough stars, you can use them to buy more player packs.
The initial scenarios in Moments mode are great for new players as they teach you the basics of the game. Seasoned players might not need this training, but the stars are well worth the grind.
Complete objectives
FIFA 23 FUT also has different objectives that guide players through the game but completing these also rewards the player. Completing different objectives can reward you with packs or coins to spend on cards. In the objectives menu, you’ll find many different objectives for you to work towards. Among the options, you’ll see daily objectives, milestones and more.
Complete Squad Builder challenges
Squad builder challenges are another great way to earn character packs. At the same time, you’ll also learn more about building your team because, in FIFA 23 FUT, team chemistry plays a vital role when building the best teams. However, there is a tradeoff when doing these challenges. The challenges will outline certain objectives, like having a certain number of players from the same country in your team. Once you meet the objective, you will have to give up these players in your squad in exchange for a new character pack.
Use loaned players sparingly
Loaned players can be great early on in the game, but it’s important not to get too attached or dependent on them. These players are usually high-quality players with good overall scores, but they’re only available for a set amount of games, and once their contracts run out, you can’t renew them. As such, they’re a great option for helping you meet certain challenges and objectives early on to enable you to get more character packs and build up your team. Keep in mind that you shouldn’t build up your entire team just on loaned players, as they’re only temporary.
Experience the FIFA 23 thrill in a different way
FIFA 23 Ultimate Team is one of the most popular modes of the games. It gives players a different way to experience and enjoy the world of football. By using this list of quick and easy ways to check your players and earn coins to spend on new cards, you’ll soon be building your own dream team. For more tips and tricks to play the game, check out this useful FIFA 23 guide.
