WhatsApp endeavors to improve its users call experience with an update bringing a host of new features.
WhatsApp video calls now support up to 32 people, with notifications for new joinees. Image source: Meta
While it made its mark in the world of secure messaging, WhatsApp intends to attract more users to its voice and video call functions too. To kick things off, group video calls have gotten bigger with support for 32 persons in a single call. That is four times more than previously supported number of callers. If the calls get too chaotic, a new feature allows both direct messaging and muting of call participants. By long pressing on a participant, an enlarged interface appears to perform these functions without interrupting the call. Gathering users for a WhatsApp call is now easier with a new call link feature that can be shared to participants.
Colourful waveforms with private message and mute features help manage large calls. Image source: Meta
Voice calls have received new features too. It is now easier to know who is talking in a large group call with colorful waveforms overlayed on the speaker. If someone pops into the group call, a notification now pops up to mark their arrival. iOS users will receive an exclusive, minimized in-call video screen feature. Users can now multitask on their devices without interrupting an ongoing video call. This feature is still currently under beta testing and will roll out in the new year.
Even with new features for WhatsApp calls, the commitment to privacy and security still remains. As always, the end-to-end encryption on all communication through the app by default remains in place. For more details on the new features, visit Improved Calling Features on WhatsApp | Meta (fb.com).
Tower of Fantasy is getting more exciting, fresh content with the release of the major 2.1 update, dubbed Confounding Labyrinth.
The 2.1 update brings more characters, powers, bosses and the new simulacrum debut in Tower of Fantasy.
New terrains and challenges await in the 2.1 update
Publisher Level Infinite and developer Hotta Studio have released the 2.1 update on the 22nd of November. With it comes a brand-new map, Confounding abyss with new challenges, bosses and the new simulacrum, Lin. Players can find the new location just beneath Mirroria and explore the diverse, underground terrain in the ruins of the Third City.
Explore the Prism Pillar (top) and Deepsoul Industrial Zone (bottom) in the Confounding Abyss
While exploring, players will encounter new challenges with enemies that have mutated under the effects of the Confounding Abyss. One such encounter is with the new enemy Crystal Hoof, where a Culton’s body has fused with a mysterious crystal, resulting in a strong, rock-like body. Experience the unique terrain of the Confounding Abyss with the official 2.1 update trailer.
Face new enemies like the Crystal Hoof in the Confounding Abyss
Rise against the new challenges with the debuting simulacrum Lin, the successor to MIrroria. Lin thrives in the frontlines of battle and has a unique alteration ability. While other simulacrums are equipped with one element each such as flame or frost, Lin can use all elements and construct weapons of any element genre. Find out more on Lin with the simulacrum release trailer.
Experience this exciting free-to-play MMORPG
With such exciting content in the 2.1 update, it’s no surprise Tower of Fantasy has been nominated for Best Mobile Game at The Game Awards and the Google Play User’s Choice Game. Players can also show their support by voting at The Game Awards.
Tower of Fantasy nominated for Best Mobile Game at The Game Awards
Quite recently Google has updated their Play Store policy and practices to start removing apps that has been sitting idle without updates. When they say remove though, it will still sit in the database, but will not appear to users while users who are already using the app will still get access to the apps. It is a good way, in our opinions, to clean up their app databases while giving users the flexibility to choose the apps they use on their devices.
It seems like Apple wants to also do the same, except they are making the implementation more immediate in nature. This was not an announcement from Apple really, just a social media posting captured by The Verge mentioning an email received from Apple. The email is for an independent developer for a free game sitting in the Apple App Store. The email pointed out that the app has not been updated for over two years and Apple will remove the app from the App Store if the app is not updated in the next 30 days.
That is not the only developer to receive a warning email from Apple though. From The Verge’s coverage, it seems like there are more than just a few developers that received an email just because they have not updated their app for two years or so. To be fair, there is a good reason why Apple wants to ensure that apps featured on their App Store is up to date. The way Apple has been implementing it though, is a little odd.
Apple and Google, both largest app ecosystem platforms in the world, work very hard to keep their marketplaces as safe as they can be. The update security features all the time, and within their updates, they would require developers to also comply to their newer guidelines set within their updates. Understandably, most of the updates would require developers to patch their apps to match the guidelines set by both Google and Apple, in the name of protecting their users too. In that case it can be understandable for both Google and Apple to start enforcing a stricter “outdated” regulation for their app stores.
This is not technically the first time that Apple removes apps from their App Store. They had a similar exercise back in 2016 where they removed apps that has been sitting without updates for over two years in the App Store giving developers only 30 days to submit an update for the App Store. While the practice seems to have gone on for a while, Apple has made no attempts in reporting or documenting their attempts so far other than the emails sent to developers. There are currently no clear guidelines as well on what Apple considers to be “outdated” in their App Store.
As we mentioned, Google is sort of doing the same thing; they are trying to ensure that their developers keep their apps up to date to meet the security requirements set by Google. Google is giving developers until the end of October 2022 to at least submit an update for their apps. Google will also grant six-month extension requests if developers cannot meet the deadline.
Updating your apps is a hassle, so is finding the right app to do specific things you want for your Android or iOS machines. We live in an age where there is an app for everything, and it all started with the iPhone and then later expanded by Google’s Android ecosystem. To think that we almost do not get ecosystem with open-sourced apps is an odd one today.
Android’s foray into the app ecosystem game marks the start of a war between iOS and Android. The war of the app store, we call it. Who had better app support, who had better apps, and who had the biggest app store? We have reached a breaking point, however.
The world today, while still revolves around apps, cares more about the quality of contents each app delivers than how many apps you have on your smartphone. I, for one, want as little apps as possible on my smartphone but enough apps to perform everything I need from my smartphone. We do not need a million apps to do a million things. We want 10 apps that does 1,000 things well, and that is a problem for the app stores with millions upon millions of apps.
Source: Google
While choices are good, Google deems that not all choices may be suitable for users. Of course, apps need to comply to Google’s security guidelines that changes with every new iteration of Android. That also means that apps that are on the Play Store should be updated to match the new security standards set by Google.
The problem is, while that is something that should be, it is not how it is in the current app stores. There are millions of apps in the ecosystem that has gone silent for years. These apps do not get updated and yet they still sit in the App Store. Granted, there are plenty of apps like these that are still being used by users. Developers of the app could have either given up on the project or have closed shop for a while. They still pose security risks for Android though.
In that case, Google is taking a step up in preventing users from downloading or coming across apps that have not been updated for longer than at least one generation of Android. That also means that if the apps on Google Play Store have not been updated for Android 11 currently, they app will be taken down from the Play Store, even if the ratings for the apps are high. When we say take down, they are not completely removed from the app store, more like downranked. If the app has not been updated for more than two generations, Play Store will not allow the app to be installed on your device at all.
Source: Google
This system is completely dependent on the update cycle and age of your smartphone or tablet as well though. For example, if your device is still on Android 9, you will still be able to see apps that have been updated for Android 9, even if the said app has not been updated for Android 11 or Android 12. Once you update your device to Android 11 or 12 though, you may not see the app on the Play Store. However, if you already have the said app on your device, it will note affect your experience with the app at all. It will only affect new users to the said app.
The changes that are teased by Google is just that for now, a tease. It is expected that changes on the Play Store will start taking place on the 1st of November 2022 onward. It does give some time for developers who has not updated their apps for a year or two to prepare and update their apps before the implementation date. While it may seem odd that Google may be phasing out some of the higher rated apps just because they are old, it is also a good security measure for Android users with better compliance. It could also help new apps shine and get into the spotlight a little bit.
Samsung’s brilliant Galaxy S8 series is now a four-year-old flagship smartphone. Four years, in today’s standards, is a long time to own a smartphone and keep it running as your daily driver. The Samsung Galaxy S8 was different though.
The Galaxy S8 series was the first smartphone from Samsung that came out from the drama that was the Samsung Galaxy Note7 series. It was also Samsung’s first foray into the ultra-thin bezel design language with edge-to-edge displays fronting the devices. While the overall design of the device has not changed that much though, it was one good-looking high-end device and feels it too.
The Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus was also Samsung’s first device to come with Android 7.0. But it was not the Samsung that we were used too as well with a complete overhaul of the iconic Samsung interface. The Samsung Galaxy S8 series was the first Samsung One UI device ever, and Samsung never looked back. To be fair, we never looked back into TouchWiz UI too, with good reasons.
The Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8+ has now officially been removed from Samsung’s security updates page altogether. Last year, they have been removed from monthly update list to quarterly update list. That means also that your Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8+ will remain as it is from this point onward.
It is not the entire Samsung Galaxy S8 line-up that gets the axe though. The Samsung Galaxy S8 Active and S8 Lite will still be getting quarterly and biannual updates for now. The Galaxy S8 active and Galaxy S8 Lite was launched a little later than the main flagship models launched in the 1st quarter of 2017.
In that case, while you might be tempted to swap the Samsung Galaxy S8 devices for a newer device, you might want to keep in mind that the Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8+ are still great devices in today’s standards. We are not saying you should not upgrade, because we think you should take a look at today’s flagships and get what tickles your fancy through the highly competitive smartphone plans from your favourite telco. The Samsung Galaxy S8 still can be used as your secondary device for example. You could even turn it into your IoT controller or sensor if you want to with Samsung’s Galaxy Upcycling at Home programme.
With the removal of Samsung’s Galaxy S8 and S8+ from the supported updates list, comes a slew of changes too to other devices being moved from regular monthly updates to quarterly and biannual updates from this point onward. True to Samsung’s words, firmware updates for their devices are kept to about 4 years. As we mentioned earlier, four years is a long time for a modern smartphone. Four years update cycle is also longer than most manufacturers in the industry currently. To check if your Samsung Galaxy device is still supported and updated, check out their updates website.
Despite the new thing that is the Samsung Galaxy Note10 that came out in 2019, there are still many that regards the previous Samsung Galaxy Note as one of the best, if not the best Samsung Galaxy Note to date. To be fair, the Samsung Galaxy Note9 was a remarkable smartphone that holds very high regards in our hearts and minds. It was also still a very formidable flagship smartphone even today if you look at it.
While Samsung has stopped officially manufacturing the Samsung Galaxy Note9, you may still be able to head down to your favourite local smartphone store and get your hands on one for not very much money today. Yes, we are talking about getting one from the likes of Lowyat Plaza, or other large retailers in the Klang Valley. Still, there is one drawback about getting the Samsung Galaxy Note9 today; it still runs on an outdated One UI based on a now outdated Android 9.0 Pie.
That is about to change however with Samsung’s rollout of their new update on the Samsung Galaxy Note9. The new update promises One UI 2.0 that is based on the Android 10 Q. Obviously the One UI 2.0 update will also come with the new Android in the box.
For those that are not yet familiar with One UI 2.0, you can expect some really nice things to come with the new update for the Samsung Galaxy Note9. For one, you get better, more powerful camera app with something called Director View. There is a new dark mode that is ever so popular these days too. The slow-mo selfies that are made popular by its bigger sibling, the Samsung Galaxy Note10 will also make it into the Samsung Galaxy Note9 with the update. All this makes quite a lot of sense since the Samsung Galaxy Note9 hardware is still quite powerful by today’s standards. It can still hold itself against the Note10, that is for sure.
Of course One UI 2.0 comes with more things that we have just listed. The One UI 2.0 and Android 10 rollout for the Samsung Galaxy Note9 is reported to be rolling out now in Germany first. Malaysia will definitely get our share of One UI 2.0 love very soon, considering that the market is also one of the first market’s to launch the Samsung Galaxy Note9.
