Meta introduces Channels, a privacy-centric feature for WhatsApp, enabling one-way broadcasts to followers without revealing personal information. With options to block screenshots and control discoverability, Channels may fill the market gap for a more private broadcast platform.
WhatsApp is scheduled to launch a new function called Silence Unknown Callers, which will allow users to filter out spam calls. The function, which can be turned on or off in the settings menu, automatically mutes phone calls from numbers not in the user’s contact list. Despite the fact that the call will be quiet, the Caller ID will remain visible in both the calls list and the notifications center. This will enable users to determine who was attempting to contact them. This new addition is intended to fix a problem with WhatsApp’s Communities feature. This feature allows any group member to simply access the phone numbers of other users and begin spamming them. Although banning and reporting calls from unknown numbers can aid in preventing this, Silence Unknown Callers tries to stop the initial wave of spam by excluding calls from these numbers. The most recent…
Copenhagen, Denmark-based Dixa has raised USD 36 million in Series B funding for its customer engagement solution, dubbed the “customer friendship” platform. This global customer service tech startup aims to create friendships between brands and their customers and will use this newly injected capital to accelerate the development of its product, expand innovations in data processing and enhance integration with third-party software. This Series B funding round was led by Notion Capital, with the support of existing investors Project A Ventures and SEED Capital. Jos White, General Partner at Notion Capital, stated, “Customer service is one of the largest software categories out there. And yet the market is still operating in transactional silos and not reflecting the world we live in. We think Dixa has what it takes to upend the industry with a platform that works across any channel and brings real-time intelligence to every conversation. We couldn’t…
Developers at the Swedish company True Software have added yet another feature to their application Truecaller, that is best known for helping users screen calls from strangers, spammers and robocallers. This feature is called Truecaller Voice and promises “high quality (HD), low latency and quick to connect audio calls” to both Android and iOS users. The Stockholm-based company said the app will also allow its users in emerging markets, such as India, to place free VoIP-powered voice calls using mobile data or Wi-Fi. According to a statement from the company, Truecaller users make 180 million outgoing calls per day using the app’s built-in dialer. Therefore, the Truecaller Voice shortcut has been strategically integrated into relevant touchpoints in the app such as call logs, the SMS Inbox, contact profiles and the aftercall screen, enabling users to seamlessly access the VoIP-based calls anywhere within the Truecaller app without switching to other…
The Facebook-owned communications platform WhatsApp has announced the rollout of their WhatsApp Business API, which will enable businesses to manage communications and send notifications and other non-promotional messages, such as appointment reminders, event tickets and more. WhatsApp has emphasized that when using this new platform, the communication must be initiated by customer sending a message or requesting information. Moreover, the communications between the two parties will incorporate end-to-end encryption, despite traffic passing through an API. There is a cost to this service – the businesses can reply to these messages free of charge within 24 hours, while all the replies sent after this period will be charged at a set price. Another useful feature of WhatsApp Business is that it will soon be possible to use the Facebook Ads Manager to add a “click-to-chat” button on Facebook advertisements, with a direct link to WhatsApp Business chat. WhatsApp Business for Android…
The Beta testers of WhatsApp for Android can now be the first to enjoy the long-awaited voice and video group calling on their mobile devices. These latest features are available on Android Beta versions 2.18.189 and 2.18.192, but first the user has to enroll in the WhatsApp Beta tester program via the Google Play store. Arranging a group voice or video call on WhatsApp is simple; start a call with one person and once the call gets connected, an icon “Add person” appears in top right corner of the screen. On selecting that icon, users will be redirected to a contact list where an additional participant may be selected. Currently, the voice and video group calls only support up to four participants, including the person who initiated the call. The Facebook-owned company’s group calling features were officially announced during the F8 conference this May, and since then only a selected number…
