WhatsApp's New Beta Update Introduces Much-Needed Text Editor Feature

WhatsApp, the popular instant conversation app, has recently unleashed a new beta version for its Android users, version 2.23.3.4. This update brings a host of new attributes and improvements to the platform, making it more convenient and user-friendly for its millions of users worldwide.

A new cool feature that has been added in this update is the new text editor for the drawing tool. This feature lets people add text to the drawings and doodles they create within the app. As per WBI, This can be done by selecting the ‘Aa’ button while in drawing mode. Users can then type in their text and adjust the font, color, and size as desired.

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This new attribute is particularly useful for creating personalized stickers or for adding captions to drawings. It also allows users to add text to images, making it easier to communicate with others and share information. Additionally, users can also align the text to the left, center, or right, which makes it more visually appealing.

This new text editor for the drawing tool is a great expansion to the app, as it provides users with more options to personalize and express themselves. Whether you’re sending a message to a friend or a group chat, this feature allows you to add a personal touch to your drawings and make them stand out.

In addition to these features, WhatsApp has also made some improvements to the app’s performance and stability. The developers have fixed several bugs and glitches that were causing the app to crash or freeze for some users. This should result in a smoother and more reliable experience for all users.

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by Arooj Ahmed via Digital Information World

New Bug On YouTube Allows Latest Videos To Be Posted With Older Upload Dates

Google has gone public with the news about a new bug seen across the app. This enables new videos to be posted on the platform with older upload dates.

The news comes after a video was seen making the rounds on social media and while you might not think it’s a huge deal as videos arise in millions on the app and attain much popularity, this was certainly different.

It had a very unique upload date that went back to April 5th of 2005. Now, the reason why it’s shocking is that the app’s oldest video about an animal zoo hit the platform on April 23rd of 2005. So how can another video that’s newer have an older date? Clearly, this is a bug and the app knows about it.

The company says that it was not easy at all to figure out that it’s a hoax because at first, you’d think what is the issue? But thankfully, you’ll find plenty of clues in the video itself that clearly point out why it’s not what it really seemed.

For starters, it’s not a premiere video but gives you complete vibes about it being of that sort. Such content was nowhere near launching in 2005. Moreover, you can even see how it’s mentioned in the top right-hand side that ‘Live Chat’ happens to be disabled for this particular type of premiere option.

Meanwhile, a second clue that really gives a lot away has to do with the likes of clicking on a particular account name. When that occurs, it highlights how the account was made after the video was getting uploaded. And just in case you still have some sort of doubt, well, feel free to reach out to The Verge that really does confirm it.

A spokesperson for the company claims their team was fully aware of this particular bug and it enabled users to alter upload dates for such video content. They also confirmed how such a video is not the oldest on the app. It’s actually the one put up by the firm’s co-founder, Jawed Karim called ‘Me at the Zoo’. Therefore, for now, we’re reaching out to the firm to see which issues would end up getting resolved.

YouTube says it wants users to be more aware so that they don’t fall into the trap of such a bug.

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by Dr. Hura Anwar via Digital Information World

Users On TikTok Can Now Receive Direct Messages From Anyone

Social media giant TikTok is following in the footsteps of Instagram with its recent rollout of direct messages.

Now, users on the platform are getting the chance to receive DMs from anyone and everyone as a part of its drive to go above and beyond just video content. Clearly, the app is catching up with so many other platforms in different ways and this recent launch appears to be the best example of the news.

For all of those users who may be unfamiliar with what we’re referring to, the platform is already offering DM offerings on the platform. However, the feature is only useful for those that continue to follow themselves on the app.

Now, new reports from The Information prove how TikTok is altering this with the likes of a new option that enables users to open up their inboxes for everyone.

While the offering is clearly not new, it first came about in November of 2022 but the only difference is that it was restricted to a few users. Now, the new email that was sent out by the platform says it’s up for grabs for the masses.

Now, users don’t need to solely send out messages to just their friends. They can send DMs to anyone that opts to leave their inbox open for the public.

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For now, this new offering is arising as an optional rollout. But users may opt to continually get texts from those mutual followers and recommended users as seen before. In such cases, this rollout would solely rely on the likes of synced contacts or even friends across Facebook.

With such a feature, the app wants users to make sure more and more people can carry on sharing videos with other people on the app through direct means instead of making use of another social media platform.

Similarly, this ensures the network continues to reign supreme and is a step above all others as this app had received plenty of attention in recent times. And that’s true despite it being focused solely on videos.

Meanwhile, another very interesting report has to do with the likes of TikTok making efforts to try and become a little more like Instagram but the latter going in the opposite direction.

As mentioned by CEO Adam Mosseri, the platform seems to be too focused on the likes of video content, and since it was launched as being solely restricted to images.

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by Dr. Hura Anwar via Digital Information World

What do you think, 2023: Another year for tech layoffs?

Tech giants including Microsoft and Alphabet made their way into the news all over the world after they announced that they will be laying off over 22,000 employees collectively. Microsoft will remove ten thousand workers, whereas Alphabet will give up twelve thousand of its employees.

The Chief Executive Officer of Microsoft, Satya Nadella, stated in his memo that the company is forced towards taking such a significant step due to tough times. Satya also talked about the reduced pace observed in digital spending, and with artificial intelligence getting more advanced, it has started to take over industries.

Sundar Pichai, the Chief Executive Officer of Google, while addressing the employee, used a somewhat similar narrative. According to Sundar, artificial intelligence will be important for future projects. Google took timely measures to bring AI on board. He believes that AI is one of the main reasons behind Google’s successful tech products. The company is ready to use AI more responsibly and boldly.

The layoff trend was initiated back in 2020 when COVID-19 forced a global lockdown. Layoffs.FYI, an online platform has been keeping track of all companies that have laid off their employees since 2020. The data from this site shows that companies including Meta, Amazon, Twitter, and even Cisco have laid off thousands of their employees.

According to their website, 2021 had the fewest layoffs. The trend, which started in 2020, fell dramatically in 2021 and peaked at the end of the second quarter of 2022. In terms of percentage, Alphabet removed twelve thousand employees, which accounts for just 6 percent of the total employees. Whereas Twitter had to fire 3700 of its workforce, which means the company removed 50% of its employees.

In addition to this, almost 1040 companies laid off over 159684 employees last year. Whereas for 2023, not even the first month of the ongoing year has ended, and over 200 companies have collectively removed 59488 members of their task force.

With the ongoing inflation and economic crisis and rising interest rates, it is expected that the trend will be observed throughout 2023 before it stops.

Chart: Statista
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by Arooj Ahmed via Digital Information World

Google Revises Business Agreements With Phonemakers And Other Partners in India

Search engine giant Google seems to be on a unique mission to amend its business terms for Android in India.

The company was recently observed highlighting the business agreements for phone makers and other leading business parents in the South East Asian nation. And at the same time, it hopes to add more changes in today’s South Asian market that would enable it to better follow the directives ordained by a top antitrust watchdog.

These directions are a huge shift that could see regulators in different areas make some more similar suggestions, the company adds. The top Android maker was recently seen getting slapped with a staggering $161 million fine thanks to the Competition Commission located in India in 2022.

They were called out and asked to make some major changes to their business practices. This is why we’re now seeing those changes come into place. Google mentioned how it will now allow various smartphone vendors located in the nation to license different apps for the sake of pre-installation on Android-powered phones.

Google plans on providing consumers with the ability to alter search engines and makes use of third-party billing alternatives for various platforms and game purchases were seen on the Play Store. This is set to start in February.

India’s Competition Commission sent out orders to the corporation to prevent smartphone makers from bundling too many apps across their headsets in a default manner. Google mentioned how it would be appealing to the Indian Competition Commission for more directions on what is allowed in the nation and what’s not.

For now, it has made up its mind and is going ahead with a series of decisions that it hopes will be compliable in this land of the law. Remember, such changes are only going to be applicable to the firm’s business dealings in India.

This decision comes at a time when Google has sent out warnings that comply with the firm’s directives that may cause devices to become expensive in today’s world. India is the country’s second-biggest smartphone market and it may cause a proliferation of apps to go unchecked.

Similarly, it’s like posing threats to different individuals and even national security.

Google really takes India seriously as it’s a leading market that has resulted in the likes of nearly half a billion users across the board. Around 97% of smartphone users in the country make use of Google’s Android systems as per a recently conducted research from Counterpoint.

Similarly, we’ve seen the company set out billions in this nation for the past ten years. And it’s currently in the process of making more investments worth a staggering $10 billion.

• Also read: 49% of Android Apps Get Uninstalled After Just 1 Day

Right after that, we saw it set forward a series of changes that Google is currently moving ahead with within India. For instance, all individual apps from the company would be up for grabs in terms of pre-installation purposes across different phones. Meanwhile, Android users were even given the chance to customization for phones that would better suit their respective preferences.

Users in India would get the chance to select a search engine as their default through choice screens. This would begin to appear when users put out new Android devices in the country.

Google says they are updating the requirements so all partners can create forked variants. And at the same time, they’re allowing for changes to get introduced in terms of choice billing for the sake of apps and games from February.

This means even developers have the chance to select different billing systems along with Google Play whenever they buy in-app digital content online. ”

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by Dr. Hura Anwar via Digital Information World

Fiverr Search Spikes Indicate AI Demand is On the Rise

The growth in AI has been hard to deny, especially in the latter half of 2022. With generate AI seeing such tremendous growth, it was only a matter of time until companies in this niche began trying to up the ante in terms of their hiring. It turns out that many of these businesses are turning to Fiverr because of the fact that this is the sort of thing that could potentially end up getting them in touch with suitable freelance professionals.

With all of that having been said and now out of the way, it is important to note that Fiverr has seen a massive 1,400% increase in the number of searches that include AI skills. This increase has occurred in the span of just six months, which indicates that there is an extremely strong level of demand for AI jobs which doesn’t look like it’s going to be going away anytime soon.

Fiverr is playing its part by trying to create a bunch of new categories that can cater to this burgeoning new niche. These categories separate the various workers who possess AI skills so that businesses can have an easier time finding them than might have been the case otherwise.

Generative AI is an especially exciting niche, since it can help artists to use the AI to create work for clients by modifying prompts based on their needs. Executives from Fiverr have mentioned a sizeable uptick in demand for this specific skillset, so chances are that we will continue to see tremendous growth for this sector especially in the long term.

Another area where tools that use generative forms of AI can come in handy is that of writing. Chat GPT and other AI chatbots can produce high quality written content, but in spite of the fact that this is the case this content still needs to be proofread and edited. That is where AI professionals can once again come into play.

Since AI is still in quite a nascent stage, businesses might need to hire professionals who they can consult with in order to aid them in making the right decisions. There are a number of different learning models that can be used such as machine learning as well as large language modelling, and they each require a distinct approach which businesses can wrap their heads around by hiring the right people for the job.

Between Chat GPT-3, DALL-E, Stable Diffusion as well as Midjourney, there are so many new AI tools that businesses might have a hard time figuring out which ones they are supposed to use. The simple existence of these tools might not be enough, since although they are meant to be easy to access they require a bit of technical knowhow which only specialists might be able to provide.

All signs point to a burgeoning AI industry, one that will give freelancers on Fiverr a wide range of options to explore. This can result in exponential growth down the line, especially when the tech continues to advance and reaches new levels of complexity. The wide range of areas that such forms of AI can focus on will also be an important factor in its future growth.

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by Zia Muhammad via Digital Information World

App Downloads Reached 142 Billion in 2022, Stumble Guys Reigns Supreme

2022 was an interesting year for app developers. Global app downloads didn’t increase quite as much as many were hoping for, but in spite of the fact that this is the case they reached a total of 142 billion with all things having been considered and taken into account. This figure includes both the App Store as well as the Google Play Store, and it represents a new record for this metric.

With all of that having been said and now out of the way, it is important to note that social apps are still generating a lot of buzz. After managing to hold onto its place in the top three for consecutive quarters, Instagram ended the year at the very top of the list. It was followed by TikTok in second place with its sister app Facebook coming in third.

Meanwhile, the slowdown in downloads has not done much to dent the momentum of mobile games. The football World Cup might have had a role to play in making download metrics higher than might have been the case otherwise, since downloads for FIFA Mobile along with Soccer Super Star grew by 137% and 112% respectively within the span of a single quarter.

It wasn’t just football games that saw some great quarters either. An app created by Kitka Games known as Stumble Guys ended up becoming the fastest growing app in terms of downloads throughout 2022, eventually reaching 86 million downloads across Latin America and Europe where it was most downloaded gaming app of all.

Stumble Guys also did really well in North America as well, reaching the number 2 spot with 17.6 million downloads. It also reached second place in Oceania with 1.7 million, and got to the top five in the Middle East where it was downloaded 2.4 million times.

All in all, 2022 was a year of muted growth, but there was still a lot of activity in the industry. All eyes will now be on 2023 to see what the new year has to offer, and many are hoping that it will see a resurgence of old growth rates.

H/T: SensorTower
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by Zia Muhammad via Digital Information World