Tag: whatsapp

  • ‘WhatsApp calls are being tapped’: Shaukat Tarin

    ‘WhatsApp calls are being tapped’: Shaukat Tarin

    Former Finance Minister Shaukat Tarin has said that he wants to tell Pakistanis that now their WhatsApp calls are also being tapped.

    “It was a WhatsApp call. I am disappointed that a WhatsApp call was being recorded. We can take up this matter legally,” said Tarin while speaking on a political talk show on Express News.

    His remarks were in relevance to his recent audio leaks where he asked Punjab Finance Minister Mohsin Leghari and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Finance Minister Taimur Jhagra to write letters withdrawing from the International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) deal.

    Read more: ‘Yeh ab tai hogaya hai Imran Khan Pakistan aur 22 crore logo se zyada eham hain’: Twitter reacts to leaked audio

    Tarin was questioned that primarily a WhatsApp call cannot be recorded, so is there a possibility that the people he was conversing with leaked the call.

    Read more: Leaked audio: PTI’s Shaukat Tarin allegedly advising finance ministers in Punjab, KP to sabotage IMF deal

    “There is an institution [behind this]. The conversation cannot be leaked from either Leghari, Taimur or myself. So Pakistanis should know that now WhatsApp calls are being tapped,” said Tarin.

  • Punjab police launches online FIR registration service

    Punjab police launches online FIR registration service

    The Punjab police on Tuesday introduced two cutting-edge services labelled Punjab Police WhatsApp Services and Online Complaint Management System that are meant to bring police assistance to citizens’ doorsteps as a significant step toward reform.

    According to Dawn, Punjab Inspector General of Police (IGP) Faisal Shahkar said the future of police service is linked with IT-based policing, which is why Punjab police expanding the scope of IT-related initiatives so that the citizens can benefit from police services at their doorstep.

    According to IGP, the Punjab police will utilize these services to deliver police assistance to citizens’ homes rather than police stations or offices. This allows citizens to easily file complaints as well as obtain other information, such as a driving license or a registration for a First Information Report, with just a single click.

    He claimed that any citizen, particularly those who are Pakistanis living abroad, can simply file a complaint by using the Punjab police’s WhatsApp number, 0331-7871787, without having to go to a police station.

    The overseas Pakistanis will be able to access information and services using these contemporary services from any location, and more capabilities will be introduced to both the software in the future based on citizen feedback.

    In order to give citizens access to all policing-related facilities in a single app, the Police Department is combining all of its IT-related initiatives into one cutting-edge app along the lines of global corporations.

    He claimed that the complaint management system was also made available online for the benefit of the populace, allowing users to not only file complaints but also obtain an E-tag number.

    A few of the services provided are the following:

    Crime Report, IG Punjab Complaint Cell, Police Service Center Facilities, Helpline Numbers, Gender Harassment Report, Police Offices, Facilities for Overseas Pakistanis, Social Media, Punjab Police Website, Zainab Alert, Most Wanted Criminals, Citizen Portal, details of domestic workers criminal record verification, feedback and suggestions, etc.

    The CPO and the district-level officers will both keep an eye on the citizen complaints, and officials who purposefully delayed taking necessary action will face consequences.

  • WhatsApp will soon let you hide online status for more privacy

    WhatsApp will soon let you hide online status for more privacy

    The Last Seen time in WhatsApp can currently be hidden from the public, but your contacts can still see it when you’re back online.

    It appears that the most popular messenger will soon have the option to hide your online status, which has been long desired.

    You can hide your online status from everyone in WhatsApp’s most recent beta version, according to WABetaInfo. This is fantastic if you’re being chased on WhatsApp and don’t want your bothersome relatives or friends bugging you all the time.

    Over the past few months, the messaging service owned by meta has been testing a tonne of incredible new features.

    You will have two options to choose from with the new feature. You have the option of making your online status public if you want it to function like Last Seen. This means that you have the option of letting anyone see your online activity, just your contacts, just your contacts with a few exceptions, or nobody at all.

    Although the screenshot is of iOS, according to WABetaInfo, WhatsApp is also working on bringing the feature to Android and WhatsApp Desktop.

    It is unknown when the feature will go live because it is still in development.

  • Instagram may convert post videos into Reels to compete with TikTok

    Instagram may convert post videos into Reels to compete with TikTok

    Instagram is testing a feature that converts video posts into Reels. According to the company, the modification is a part of Instagram’s plan to streamline video on the app and is currently being tested with a small number of users worldwide.

    With the most recent move made by the blogging platform, Instagram’s efforts to surpass TikTok are clearly growing.

    A representative from Meta stated, “We’re testing this feature as part of our efforts to simplify and improve the video experience on Instagram.”

    The social media consultant Matt Navarra shared a screenshot of an in-app message that reads, “Video posts are now shared as Reels,” on Twitter. Participants in the test will see this message.

    The message warns that anyone can find your Reel and use your original audio to make their own Reel if your account is public and you post a video that ends up being turned into one. Only your followers will be able to see your Reel if your account privacy setting is set to private.

    The message also mentions that if your account is public and you post a reel, anyone can remix it. In your account settings, you can, however, stop people from remixing your Reels.

    As Meta has placed significant wagers on Reels, the test is now. Reels now account for more than 20% of people’s Instagram usage, according to the company’s Q1 2022 earnings report.

    It is not surprising that Instagram wants to completely replace video posts in order to expand Reels. People may spend even more time watching Reels if the company ultimately decides to make this change permanent, which would be something to brag about.

    Instagram’s video components would be even more consolidated if it decides to convert all video uploads into Reels.

    When Mosseri outlined Instagram’s goals for 2022 last year, he said the company would increase its investment in video and concentrate on Reels.

    This change may have been intended all along, as he even made a hint that Instagram would center all of its video products around Reels and continue to expand the short-form product.

  • WhatsApp now lets you hide profile photo, last seen from specific contacts

    WhatsApp now lets you hide profile photo, last seen from specific contacts

    Last year, the Meta-owned messaging platform WhatsApp began developing a new privacy setting that would allow users to hide their profile photos, last seen, and about information from specific people in their contact lists.

    It was only available for beta version users, but the company has now announced that it will be accessible to all iPhone and Android users worldwide.

    Users can now show their WhatsApp profile photo, last seen, and About information to anyone in their contacts list except those they choose to keep out.

    Previously, users could choose between three privacy settings for their profile photo, last seen, and About information: Everyone, My Contacts, and Nobody. According to GSM Arena, these are met by a third alternative named ‘My contacts except…,’ which can also be used for Status privacy.

    However, just like read receipts, if someone doesn’t share their last seen with others, they won’t be able to see others. The only difference is that the latter will always remain operational for group chats, even if they’ve turned it off.

    To test this new privacy control, users can go to WhatsApp’s Settings > Account > Privacy menu on an iPhone or Android device.

    WhatsApp also announced some group calling features, including the ability to mute others during a group call and send messages to particular users, in addition to new privacy control. When someone joins a group call off-screen, a banner appears.

    The latest WhatsApp beta update also includes an admin approval feature, which allows group admins to accept or deny requests from people who want to join via hyperlink.

  • Instagram’s repeated stories glitch in iPhones fixed in newer version

    Instagram’s repeated stories glitch in iPhones fixed in newer version

    On iPhones, Instagram stories have been acting up for certain users, forcing them to go through all of someone’s stories before being allowed to see new ones.

    Since Monday, numerous users have been afflicted by the problem, and other Reddit users have complained that the same thing is occurring to them’.

    The source of the problem appears to be that Instagram forgets where you left off when viewing someone’s story.

    For example, if a user uploads five stories and you look at four of them before swiping away, you should see their fifth story the next time you tap on their symbol. Instead, each time you want to view the story, Instagram forces you to go back through the four you have previously seen.

    When someone adds a new story to their feed, the problem occurs as well.

    According to The Verge, Instagram released an update for the app in the iOS App Store on Wednesday morning that appears to have fixed the problem.

    In case, you’re having problems, check for updates and make sure your app is up to date, to the latest version, which is v239.1.

    The update notes only state that “the current version provides bug fixes and performance enhancements,” yet netizens claim that it has solved the problem of repeating Stories.

    In an email to The Verge, Meta representative Christine Pai said the business is “aware that some customers are having problems accessing Instagram Stories”.

    Pai apologised for the disruption and stated that Instagram is “trying to bring everything back to normal as quickly as possible”.

    The exact number of users that have been affected is unknown. Many twitterati are saying that they have to replay stories on Instagram, still the platform is not that massively trending.

  • How to transfer WhatsApp data from Android to iPhone

    How to transfer WhatsApp data from Android to iPhone

    WhatsApp and Apple have announced that data from the Android chat app will now be ported to iOS. The feature will be available in WhatsApp’s beta version. It will be phased in over the course of a week to reach all users.

    Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced the development in a Facebook post.

    “We’re adding to WhatsApp the ability to securely switch between phones and transfer your chat history, photos, videos, and voice messages between Android and iPhone while maintaining end-to-end encryption. This is a top requested feature. We launched the ability to switch from iPhone–>Android last year, and now adding Android–>iPhone as well,” he wrote in a Facebook post.

    To transfer the data, your Android smartphone must be running Android 5 or higher, and your iPhone must be running iOS 15.5 or higher.

    Last year, the feature to move WhatsApp data from iOS to Android was launched.

  • WhatsApp is cutting support for two iPhones

    WhatsApp is cutting support for two iPhones

    The meta-owned messaging platform, WhatsApp announced that it will stop functioning on some outdated iPhones in its new update. The company announced that it would stop supporting iOS 10 and iOS 11 devices later this year.

    WhatsApp has begun notifying iPhone users running iOS 10 or iOS 11 that they must update their devices in order to continue using WhatsApp beyond October 24. The iPhone 5 and iPhone 5c are the only two devices in the series which will no longer support WhatsApp after October 24.

    “After October 24, 2022, WhatsApp will no longer support this version of iOS”. To get the newest iOS version, navigate to Settings > General > Software Update,” the notification says.

    WhatsApp will continue to work for iPhone 5s and iPhone 6 users for the time being, and they will be alerted if their iPhones cease running the Meta-owned instant messaging app.

    The app already states on its Help Center page that iPhone users must be running iOS 12 or above to continue using the application. WhatsApp requires Android 4.1 or newer for Android users.

    The tech giant, Apple is anticipated to unveil iOS 16 at WWDC 2022 next month, and it will be released later this year, possibly around the time the iPhone 14 series is released.

  • WhatsApp will soon let you exit groups secretly

    WhatsApp will soon let you exit groups secretly

    WABetainfo has unveiled a beta feature that allows participants to leave a group with only the admins being notified.

    ‘Only you and group admins will be notified that you left the group,’ says a beta popup when a group member opts out.

    Currently, when someone leaves a group chat, WhatsApp broadcasts their departure to the whole group, making their departure very public. Although leaving a group silently is not yet possible, WhatsApp appears to recognise that making one’s withdrawal less noticeable may be the safest default.

    Officially, WhatsApp allows up to 256 users to join a single group, however, this can lead to a lot of coming and departing notifications in a conversation, which can be distracting to other participants.

    WhatsApp is also testing rich link previews in Status updates in another beta development. Rich link previews would provide a preview of the website being linked to, giving users an indication of the content they may expect to see if they visit the webpage, whereas sharing a link in a Status update now only displays the URL.

    The meta-owned WhatsApp hasn’t said when these new features will be available for the normal users, as it usually does while testing them with its beta users.

    Greater file transfers, emoji reactions and larger groups were among the most recent major additions to the platform in the last month.

  • Safe to fill up fuel tanks to the max in this heat?

    Safe to fill up fuel tanks to the max in this heat?

    Considering Pakistan’s scorching summer and rising petroleum prices, a claim has been made regarding how much fuel should be topped inside a vehicle.

    According to a viral image being attributed to Pakistan State Oil (PSO), motorists should not fill gasoline to the full capacity of the tank owing to rising temperatures since it may trigger an explosion in the tank. Drivers can fill half of their tank and leave the rest for air.

    Conversely, there has been no official word from the oil company in this regard; however, a similar image went viral years ago when PSO clarified that filling fuel tanks to their full capacity poses no harm to automobiles or passengers.

    The announcement came after a Whatsapp message went viral on the internet in 2018. In view of rising temperatures, the message falsely claimed that PSO had warned the public against filling gasoline tanks to full capacity.

    According to the statement from PSO, the auto-igniting temperature of gasoline is far higher than the peak summer temperatures in Pakistan. Filling a petrol tank to the maximum capacity poses no danger to the automobile or its occupants, and is considered fully safe and advantageous to the vehicle’s operation.

    Read more: CNG prices pushed to Rs140 per kg for sales tax collection

    Also, the idea that filling the vehicle’s gasoline tank to the full capacity will cause an explosion defies scientific logic.

    This is because the auto-ignition temperature for petrol is 495°F (257°C), which is the lowest temperature required to ignite a gas or vapour in air without the presence of a spark or flame. The highest recorded temperature on earth was 56.7°C (134°F), observed on July 10, 1913, at Greenland Ranch, Death Valley, California, USA.