CNET: Instagram could soon let you send direct messages on desktop. “You may soon be able to use Instagram Direct to ping one or more people on desktop. Tipster Jane Manchun Wong tweeted about the rumored feature on Tuesday, along with screenshots of what Direct for desktop could look like.” Jane Wong strikes again!
messaging
The Next Web: Instagram spins out Threads, its version of Messenger
The Next Web: Instagram spins out Threads, its version of Messenger. “Instagram today revealed it’s launching Threads, an Instagram spin-off app specifically for private messages between friends — similar to Facebook’s Messenger. Whether it’ll actually last as long as Messenger has remains to be seen.”
Fossbytes: Google Researcher Finds Nasty iMessage Bug That ‘Bricks’ iPhone
Fossbytes: Google Researcher Finds Nasty iMessage Bug That ‘Bricks’ iPhone. “There are different character combinations that can render an iPhone useless. While Apple has been quick to fix such bugs, this time a Google researcher found a nasty one that ‘bricks’ Apple phones.”
BBC: How apps power Hong Kong’s ‘leaderless’ protests
BBC: How apps power Hong Kong’s ‘leaderless’ protests. “In a tiny room on the edge of a nondescript building complex sits an unlikely participant in Hong Kong’s protest movement. Behind his laptop computer, Tony (not his real name) monitors scores of groups on private messaging app Telegram and online forums. Organisers say volunteers like Tony are running hundreds of Telegram groups that are powering Hong Kong’s protest turned civil disobedience campaign. They claim that more than two million people have taken to the streets in recent weeks to express opposition to a controversial extradition law.”
PSA: Twitter Isn’t Notifying People If You DM Their Tweets (New York Magazine)
New York Magazine: PSA: Twitter Isn’t Notifying People If You DM Their Tweets. “There are several circumstances under which Twitter will send you a notification: If you get a new follower. If your tweet is getting attention in the form of retweets and likes. If you receive a direct message. There is one circumstance under which Twitter will not — I said will not — notify you: If somebody sends one of your tweets to somebody else in a DM.”
Make SMS Useful Again: 7 Services That Use SMS Messages Cleverly (MakeUseOf)
MakeUseOf: Make SMS Useful Again: 7 Services That Use SMS Messages Cleverly. “Thanks to instant messaging apps, you probably don’t use plain old SMS on your phone too often. Messengers like WhatsApp and Telegram are faster, more reliable, and have tons of other modern features SMS lacks. But SMS is around to stay on your phone and despite what you may think, it has a lot to offer. We’ve rounded up several cool services that make good use of SMS.”
KnowTechie: Instagram is shutting down its dedicated Direct messaging app you probably forgot about
KnowTechie: Instagram is shutting down its dedicated Direct messaging app you probably forgot about. “If you’re one of the many people who rely on Instagram’s standalone app for direct messages, we have some bad news – the company is shutting it down in the coming month. This was first spotted by social media consultant Matt Navarra who confirmed the upcoming closure on Twitter.”
