Facebook Messenger - page 2

Facebook spies on your messages to make sure you’re being good

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And you thought all those Facebook messages were secret. Sucker!
And you thought all those messages were private. Sucker!
Photo: kropekk_pl/Pixabay CC

Just when you thought Facebook couldn’t be more intrusive, the company has confirmed that it keeps an eye on our Messenger conversations to make sure we’re being good.

Messages you send are scanned to ensure they abide by Facebook’s rules — and if they don’t, they won’t be delivered.

Selfissimo!, Life is Strange, and other awesome apps of the week

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Awesome Apps
'Appy weekend, everyone!
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

A unique selfie app, created by Google, that summons up your inner supermodel is just of one of the picks for this week’s “Awesome Apps” roundup.

In addition, we’ve got part one of an excellent episodic adventure finally available on iOS, a sound-matching app for any guitar players out there, and an augmented reality-focused update to Facebook Messenger. Check out our picks below.

Facebook brings augmented reality to its Messenger app

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Messenger
Who will know you love your dog if you don't add a giant digital heart over its head?
Photo: Facebook

It’s not just Apple that’s excited about the possibilities of augmented reality! In its latest Snapchat-inspired update, Facebook has added new AR features to its Messenger app.

Called “World Effects,” the feature lets you place emoji-style 3D objects in three-dimensional space via your iPhone’s rear camera. Objects added include a heart, an arrow, and a robot — along with word bubbles with messages like “love,” “heart,” “miss you,” and — making us feel old — ““bae.”

Apple Music is hooking up with Facebook Messenger

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apple-music
Grab the latest update from the Play Store now.
Photo: Apple

Facebook is aiming to make its Messenger app the go-to spot to talk about music with a new update that makes it easier to share songs with friends.

During the company’s F8 developers conference this morning, Facebook unveiled a new way for third-party apps to integrate with communications platform. And Apple Music is one of its first partners.

Surprise! Facebook is the year’s most popular mobile app

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Nielsen's sample of the year's most popular apps.
Photo: Nielsen

With 2016 coming to a close, Nielsen has ranked the year’s most popular mobile apps in the U.S. and — wouldn’t you know it! — Facebook takes the top two spots with its Facebook and Facebook Messenger apps.

Despite the growth of other social media services, Facebook saw growth of 14 percent from last year, with more than 146 million average unique users each month. Facebook Messenger also picked up over 129 million unique users every month.

Facebook Messenger is getting a new Data Saver mode

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Facebook
Facebook Messenger is going on a data diet.
Photo: Rob LeFabvre/Cult of Mac

Facebook Messenger can be a real data hog if you’re a frequent user — especially if you send and receive a lot of GIFs, images, and videos. But that’s going to change thanks to a new Data Saver feature that’s currently being tested on Android.

Forget Pokémon Go, here are some other awesome apps of the week

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If you're appy and you know it, check our list!
Having an 'appy weekend?
Photo: Cult of Mac

It may be hard to believe, but it turns out that there are other non-Pokémon Go apps out there — and we’ve picked out a few of the juiciest picks of the last week.

From a brand-new Batman game to a movie buff’s answer to karaoke, here are the apps you should be downloading during whichever part of your Sunday isn’t set aside for tracking down Pikachu and the rest.

3 easy ways to use your cellphone abroad (without going broke)

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iPhone on the beach
Are you ready to take your iPhone on vacation?
Photo: Samer Chidiac/Pixabay CC

Most of us have heard nightmare stories of friends who traveled abroad only to come home with a horrific cellphone bill. Either they forgot to put their device in Airplane Mode, or didn’t consider an international plan. Those types of mistakes have cost people hundreds and sometimes thousands of dollars in international fees for phone calls and data usage abroad.

Stories like these are becoming less common, however, as technology improves. One of the best and most recent advancements are new plans that make it easier for folks to travel to another country and still be able to use their current phone.

We tell you about three options for using your phone while traveling abroad, so you can keep in touch with friends and family back home — and not spend too much in the process.

Facebook Messenger now lets you Peek and Pop on iPhone 6s

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And you thought all those Facebook messages were private. Sucker!
Update Facebook Messenger now if you have an iPhone 6s!
Photo: Rob LeFebvre/Cult of Mac

Facebook Messenger is now even more awesome on iPhone 6s.

Thanks to the app’s latest update, you can now take advantage of useful 3D Touch gestures that let you Peek and Pop into all your ongoing conversations — and into all the media shared within them.

1979 Revolution, Slip Away, and other apps of the week

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appsoftheweek_1024
'Appy weekend everyone!
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Happy Sunday everyone! During seven days in which Apple revealed iOS 10 and Mac OS Sierra to the world, developers released some great new apps and updates into the App Store.

From a great choose-your-own-adventure game set in 1979 Iran to a price comparison search app, here are our picks for apps of the week.

iMessage may be about to cross the Android divide

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Your Android friends may soon get blue chat bubbles too.
Your Android friends may soon get blue chat bubbles too.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Apple’s iMessage platform may soon be available on products that aren’t designed in Cupertino.

iMessage is set to get its first-ever app for Android, according to a new report citing a “source familiar with the company’s thinking.” If so, it sounds like it could spell trouble for Facebook Messenger and Google’s new messaging app, Allo.

Facebook Messenger may soon add end-to-end encryption

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Facebook messaging apps
Messenger is finally getting encryption.
Photo: Facebook

Facebook plans to tighten security on its popular Messenger platform this summer, but it won’t be turned on for all users by default.

Messenger will add a new end-to-end encryption feature that prevents hackers and the government from being able to read your text messages. Facebook won’t be able to read your messages either though, and that will seriously hurt its ability to make bots great if you decide to opt-in to better security.

Google says hello to Allo, goodbye to Hangouts

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"'Allo, guvna!" Google's new messaging app is obviously British.
Photo: Google

Watch out Facebook Messenger, Google is taking another stab at messaging with its newly revealed app called Allo.

Does the world really need another messaging app? Probably not. But Google is hoping that it has finally created the perfect mix of features that will make you ditch Snapchat and Facebook.

Mother’s Day on Messenger is all about digital flowers

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Facebook-Messenger-flowers
This is even weirder than that basketball game from March.
Screencap: Evan Killham/Cult of Mac

We know that emoticons and Emojis are for expressing yourself when words fail you, but what does it mean when you put flowers around your text bubble? According to Facebook Messenger, that just means it’s Mother’s Day.

The chat app has rolled out a weird feature in advance of Sunday’s mother-loving holiday to let you festoon your messages with happy little flowers.

Here’s how you get in on the festivities.

Kaboom Keyboard, Facebook Messenger, and other awesome apps of the week

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awesome_copy
'Appy weekend everyone.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

After the craziness of the week, Sundays are the perfect day for kicking back and sampling some of the delights to have graced the App Store over the past week.

From self-destructing messaging keyboards to massive group chats to a fun zombie blasting game, we’ve combed through the recesses of the app marketplace to bring you the juiciest cuts that will make your remaining time until Monday as memorable as it can be.

Check out our picks below.

Facebook Messenger now offers group voice chat for up to 50 people

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HEADING
Facebook just made chat more sociable.
Photo: Facebook
Facebook just made chat more sociable. Photo: Facebook
Facebook just made chat more sociable. Photo: Facebook

Facebook is continuing its mission to try and replace your standard telephone number with its latest update for Facebook Messenger — allowing up to 50 users to jump on a VoIP audio call for a group chat.

The feature, which started rolling out globally yesterday, allows anyone to start a group call by hitting the app’s Phone icon and selecting the group chat members they want included. The members will then receive a Messenger call simultaneously, which they can join at any point the conversation is taking place.

How to catch March Madness with Facebook Messenger

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basketball hoop by JD Starnia facebook messenger basketball game
Are you ready to hoop it up in Messenger, or whatever they're calling it these days?
Photo: JD Starnia/Pixabay. Licensed under CC0 1.0

Maybe you’ve heard of a little sportsball contest that’s starting this week, and maybe you haven’t. If you haven’t, just know that that’s why your neighbors are going to be shouting like maniacs for the next few weeks.

My loud, a-hole neighbors aren’t the only ones excited about March Madness; Facebook’s Messenger app is also getting into the spirit with a hidden game that will test your skill, precision, and tolerance of emojis.

Here’s how to play.

Cola Messenger wants to streamline texting with ‘bubbles’

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Cola's bubbles want to take over your texting experience.
Cola's bubbles want to take over your texting experience.
Photo: Cola.

Most iPhone users spend more time texting than in any other app. Everything from scheduling meetings to finding out what your buddies want to eat tonight is done through texting, the only problem is the experience really hasn’t evolved since iOS was first introduced.

Cola is a new messenger app that wants to fix that by streamlining your communication with little bubbles that let you do stuff like create polls, make a to-do list, and much more so you can spend less time texting and more time enjoying life.

Pro Tip: Get Facebook Messenger to stop buzzing you during chats

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And you thought all those Facebook messages were private. Sucker!
Thanks, Facebook.
Photo: Rob LeFebvre/Cult of Mac

Facebook Messenger keeps buzzing at me while I’m in the app itself. It’s annoying.

It seems like I’m getting messaged more and more via Facebook Messenger these days as my buddies and family take to the mobile messaging platform to connect in real time.

But the incessant buzzing, when I’m right there staring at the conversation, has got to stop. Here’s how I did it.