Neowin

Artifact, the news aggregator app launched by Instagram co-founders, is shutting down. The app will offer core news reading capability for some time but remove the ability to create new posts.

Instagram captions might improve in a future update with the ability to auto-translate captions in various languages. It's reportedly working on a new toggle button to enable the feature.

Meta has been under the radar of the Turkish competition board since 2022 after it stated that Meta violated the competition law. Today, it has placed another fine that needs to be paid daily

Even though some time ago, Threads did not appear to have chronological sorting for its posts, there have been updates. Now, users can sort their search results reverse chronologically.

WhatsApp beta for iOS 24.1.10.70 reveals that the instant messaging app is working on a theme customization feature. Users might be able to change the main branding color of the app in the future.

Recently some Western companies including Google were relieved of some fines imposed by Russians. Out of these, Telegram commented that it was unaware of the reasons why the charges were dropped.

The price of the Meta Quest 2 VR headset is now permanently set at $249.99, but the future of VR gaming looks dim after a major VR-only game developer announced it is closing its doors.

WhatsApp is working on the ability to share status updates via companion phones. The feature has started rolling out to limited testers running WhatsApp version 2.24.1.4 beta for Android.

A future update to Instagram might bring support for animated emojis in DMs. The Meta-owned social media giant is reportedly working on the feature, which is already available on Telegram since 2019.

Now you can create customizable Story templates on Instagram. The social media app is rolling out a new feature that lets other people use your Story as a template and make their additions.

Microsoft has quietly added versions of its Word, Excel, and PowerPoint apps to the Meta Quest store, allowing people who own Meta Quest VR headsets to use the apps in a mixed-reality setting

Meta's competitor to X (nee. Twitter), Threads, has now launched in Europe, after being initially delayed due to the introduction of the Digital Markets Act across its member states.

Instagram has made a new tool available to users in the US today which enabled generative AI powered background editing, giving people the ability to change the background in a posted image.

Microsoft has announced that owners of the Meta Quest 2, Meta Quest 3, and Meta Quest Pro VR headsets can now access the Xbox Cloud Gaming service via an Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscription.

The text-based version of Instagram, Threads, could have had a different name. Instagram head Adam Mosseri talked about the alternative names they had in mind while picking a name for Threads.

WhatsApp has started testing the ability to filter group chats in its app. Chat filters have started rolling out to some beta testers running WhatsApp beta for iOS 23.25.10.76 available on TestFlight.

Meta has announced an upcoming security update to Messenger and Facebook. It will switch on E2E encrypted messaging, the ability to edit messages, and much more. It'll arrive for all within months.

AMD announced its new generative AI-based chips, the Instinct MI300 Series, and Microsoft was among a number of companies who stated it would start using versions of the chip in its services.

Meta has released a new AI image generator. It allows free creation of high quality images from text descriptions. In addition, Meta will start adding invisible watermarks to images.

Meta is being sued by the New Mexico AG's office on grounds that it did little to nothing to protect teens and preteens. The report notes that Meta is promoting child predators on its platforms.

WhatsApp is readying a couple of new features, including the ability to share HD media as status updates and audio feed during screen sharing. The underdevelopment features are currently in beta.

Instagram head Adam Mosseri came forward to clarify why Threads can't display search results in chronological order. Keyword search for Threads was recently rolled out to all the regions globally.

Meta is preparing to launch Threads in Europe as early as next month to comply with regional privacy laws. The company may initially offer EU users a view-only mode to browse posts.

Europe's consumer organization, the BEUC, has filed a complaint against Meta for breaching EU consumer laws claiming that Meta is forcing users to pay a fee to ensure privacy.

Google has decided to pay $100 million CAD annually to the government of Canada as part of an agreement by the company to comply with the country's recently passed Online News Act.

Instagram has started rolling out the ability to download Reels globally. The feature, previously available in the US, lets users save Instagram Reels uploaded by public accounts to their devices.

The Meta Quest 2 virtual reality headset is currently selling for a new all-time low price at Amazon. You can get the 128GB version for just $249, or you can get the 256GB version for $299.

Up until now if you wanted to delete your Threads account, you would have to also delete your Instagram account. An update coming soon will change that, as well as new privacy updates.

WhatsApp has pushed the Voice Chat feature live today, allowing users in a Group Chat of 33 to 128 people to hop in and out of a Discord-like chat room while still being able to message in the group.

Under the Digital Services Act, the European Commission is strengthening controls on online platforms to ensure the safety of users, especially, children regarding content shared online.

WhatsApp's search messages by date feature might arrive on Android in the coming future. The feature is currently in development and it was spotted on WhatsApp beta Android v2.23.24.16 update.

Meta has announced today that it plans to require advertisers to disclose where AI has been used in the creation of media for political advertisements, this will take effect from the start of 2024.

Instagram is testing is new privacy feature for people who use direct messaging in the app. There will be a new toggle button that will allow users to turn on read receipts for their Instagram DMs.

Several Big Tech companies are using a new scheme called Lantern to tackle predators using their services to target children. It will allow for more comprehensive investigations into predators.

Meta has announced that it will be testing a new monetisation method for creators in the United States, Japan, and South Korea, which it dubs the 'Holiday Bonus' or 'Year-end Bonus.'

CMA, the UK watchdog, is closing its investigations against Meta and Amazon about the use of ad data after securing two commitments from the tech giants. These ensure user and seller protection.

Meta has confirmed previous rumors that it will begin offering ad-free subscription plans for both Facebook and Instagram in Europe starting in November to comply with recent regulations.

After announcing the Meta AI chatbot, Meta is now reportedly working on a new generative AI writing assistant for Facebook. The AI assistant will take prompts from users to write Facebook posts.

WhatsApp is rolling out view-once voice message functionality to its app on Android and iOS. According to a source, this feature is being tested in beta versions of the app on both platforms.