Category: Tech

WhatsApp Testing Secret Code Feature for Locked Chats; Channel Usernames Reportedly in the Works

WhatsApp has begun testing a new feature that allows you to hide secret chats on the messaging app. With the latest beta version of WhatsApp for Android, you can set a secret code that will allow you to hide specific chats from the main list. Currently, WhatsApp allows you to swipe down in the chat list to open your hidden chats, but the new feature will hide them from even showing up until the secret code is entered. Meanwhile, WhatsApp is also working on developing a feature that will allow you to set a username for channels.

After updating to WhatsApp beta for Android 2.23.24.20, you will be able to set a secret code for hidden chats on the messaging app. In order to do so, open the list of locked chats and tap the three-dot menu at the top > Chat lock settings > toggle Hide locked chats and enter a memorable secret code. WhatsApp specifically asks you to choose a memorable secret code as resetting your secret code will clear all your locked chats.

WhatsApp’s new secret code feature
Photo Credit: Screenshot/ WhatsApp

 

Once you have hidden your locked chats, they won’t be visible in the Locked chats category that shows up when you swipe down on the home screen. Instead, you will have to enter the secret code in the search bar to open the hidden (and locked) chat list.

The feature to hide locked chats will prevent someone who is using your phone from detecting the presence of locked chats on your phone — instead of simply swiping down, they will need to enter your secret code. 

If you wish to revert to the previous locking mechanism that protects chats with your fingerprint, you can toggle Hide locked chats following the steps mentioned above, after entering your secret code. The locked chats will once again be visible with a swipe down on the list of main chats.  

Meanwhile, feature tracker WABetaInfo spotted a new feature in development that will allow users to set a username for channels. Once a username is set, your channel subscribers will be able to enter the username to open the channel, according to the tracker. The feature is still being worked on, so beta testers won’t be able to try the feature until it is rolled out on the beta channel at a later date. 

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Vivo X100 Pro+ Might Launch Next Year, Tipped to Be Equipped With Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 SoC

Vivo introduced the Vivo X100 and Vivo X100 Pro on Monday, November 13 in China with the brand new MediaTek Dimensity 9300 chipset. Now, the Chinese smartphone company is speculated to add a Vivo X100 Pro+ model to the lineup soon. The upcoming handset could run on Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 SoC. Last year, three models —Vivo X90, X90 Pro, and X90 Pro+— debuted under the Vivo X90 lineup. The Vivo X100 Pro+ is expected to come with a 200-megapixel periscope telephoto camera.

Tipster Digital Chat Station (translated from Chinese) on Weibo (via GizmoChina) claimed that the Vivo X100 Pro+ model will join the Vivo X100 lineup soon. He states that Vivo executives have confirmed the existence of the handset without confirming the launch date. It is expected to run on Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 SoC. The newly launched Vivo X100 and Vivo X100 Pro use the MediaTek Dimensity 9300 SoC under the hood.

Vivo X100 Pro+ is rumoured to debut in the first half of next year, after the rumoured Oppo Find X7 Pro and Xiaomi 14 Ultra. It is tipped to launch within six months of the Vivo X100 Pro.

As per past leaks, the Vivo X100 Pro+ will come with a 6.78-inch display with a 120Hz refresh rate. The camera setup of the handset is said to include a 1-inch 50-megapixel Sony IMX989 sensor with a variable aperture, a 50-megapixel Sony IMX758 portrait sensor, and a 200-megapixel telephoto camera. Further, it is said to pack an ultrasonic fingerprint sensor for authentication and offer an IP68 rating for water and dust resistance.

Vivo is yet to confirm details or the existence of the Vivo X100 Pro+. Therefore, it is recommended to take all these details with a pinch of salt.

The Vivo X100 Pro and Vivo X100 smartphones were launched with starting price tags of CNY 4,999 (roughly Rs. 56,500) and CNY 3,999 (roughly Rs. 50,000), respectively. They run on Android 14-based OriginOS 4 and have curved 6.78-inch 8 LTPO AMOLED displays with up to 120Hz refresh rate.

The camera-focused Vivo X100 series packs Zeiss-branded triple rear camera units and comes with Vivo’s V3 chip for image processing. The Vivo X100 houses a 5,000mAh battery with 120W fast charging while the VIvo X100 Pro houses a 5,400mAh unit with 100W charging and a 50W wireless charging rate. They have an IP68-rated build for water and dust resistance.

The Vivo X90 Pro has finally made its debut in India, but is the company’s flagship smartphone for 2023 equipped with enough upgrades over its predecessor? We discuss this and more on Orbital, the Gadgets 360 podcast. Orbital is available on Spotify, Gaana, JioSaavn, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music and wherever you get your podcasts.

 

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iQoo 12 5G to be Available on Amazon India; Microsite Goes Live Ahead of December 12 Launch

iQoo 12 series was launched globally on November 7. The lineup included a base iQoo 12 and the iQoo 12 Pro model. The base model is confirmed to be introduced to the Indian market and the launch date in the country is set for December 12. The phone will be available for purchase in India via Amazon. It is offered in Burning Way, Legend Edition, and Track Version (translated) colours options in China, where the last variant comes with a BMW Motorsport-inspired finish.

A microsite for the base iQoo 12 model is now live on Amazon’s India site, confirming the model’s availability on the e-commerce platform. Meanwhile, in China, the 12GB + 256GB variant of the iQoo 12 is listed at CNY 3,999 (roughly Rs. 45,000), whereas the 16GB + 512GB and 16GB + 1TB variants are priced at CNY 4,299 (roughly Rs. 50,00) and CNY 4,699 (roughly Rs. 53,000), respectively.

The iQoo 12 sports a 6.78-inch AMOLED display that comes with a resolution of 1.5K (1,260×2,800 pixels), refresh rate of up to 144Hz, and an aspect ratio of 20:9 with HDR10+ support. It is powered by an octa-core 4nm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 SoC paired with an Adreno 750 GPU. The phone runs on Android 14-based OriginOS 4.

For optics, there’s a triple rear camera unit on the iQoo 12, that includes a 50-megapixel 1/1.3-inch primary sensor, a 64-megapixel periscope telephoto camera with 100X digital zoom, and a 50-megapixel sensor with an ultra wide-angle lens. The front camera of the handset is equipped with a 16-megapixel sensor.

iQoo 12 packs a 5,000mAh battery with 120W with fast charging support. For security, the handset is equipped with an in-display fingerprint sensor. It weighs 203 grams and measures 163.22mm x 75.88mm x 8.10mm in size.

Is the iQoo Neo 7 Pro the best smartphone you can buy under Rs. 40,000 in India? We discuss the company’s recently launched handset and what it has to offer on the latest episode of Orbital, the Gadgets 360 podcast. Orbital is available on Spotify, Gaana, JioSaavn, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music and wherever you get your podcasts.
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Musk-Inspired Memecoin ‘Grok’ Sees Quick Rise and Fall Amid Scam Suspicions: Details

Elon Musk’s new project called ‘Grok’, that is essentially an AI chatbot service with a more humorous and uncensored approach as compared to other chatbots, has begun rolling out. As excitement about Grok bubbled up on social media, a memecoin project of the same name made a splash into the digital assets market. With a Musk-inspired branding and arriving at a time when the crypto market is at its highest valuation this year, the memecoin was quick to garner acceptance from the crypto community only for its fame to fizzle almost as soon as it formed.

At the time of writing, Grok was trading at $0.011880 (roughly Rs. 0.99) as per CoinMarketCap.

In the last few hours, the value of Grok tokens clocked a sharp decline of 70 percent. It happened after blockchain analyst who goes by the username of @zachxbt on X claimed that the social media accounts and websites related to Grok were repurposed from old crypto projects.

Later, @zachxbt also pointed out that the developer team behind Grok transferred roughly $1.7 million (roughly Rs. 14 crore) worth tokens to a burn address that would increase the token’s rarity quotient and make it more enticing to investors.

As soon as this news began spreading, floodgates of rumours and suspicions about Grok being a scam coin opened on social media. The altcoin’s valuation that had reportedly touched the mark of $160 million (roughly Rs. 1,331 crore) earlier this week, is currently valued at merely over $92 million (roughly Rs. 772 crore).

Members of the crypto community are warning each other about making careful investment decisions around newly emerging and hyped cryptocurrencies like Grok.

Musk started rolling out GrokAI on November 5 and on the same day, this crypto project made its debut on social media. Memecoin traders were quick to hop onboard the hyped altcoin and within one week, the value of Grok recorded continuous spike. Its all-time high was recorded at $0.027 (roughly Rs. 2.25) on November 13.

Musk, as of now, has not addressed anything related to the Grok cryptocurrency.

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Google Said to be In Talks to Invest in AI Chatbot Startup Character.AI



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Realme GT 5 Pro With Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 SoC, 1TB Storage Confirmed to Launch in November

Realme GT 5 Pro will be launched this month, Realme confirmed via a Weibo post on Monday (November 12). The upcoming smartphone will come as a successor to the Realme GT 5 that debuted in China in August this year. It is already teased to be powered by the latest Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 SoC, coupled with 1TB of onboard storage. Realme confirmed that the Realme GT 5 Pro will be equipped with a larger heat dissipation unit, a 3,000 nits display, and an upgraded telephoto camera.

Realme confirmed the arrival of the flagship Realme GT 5 Pro in China in November via a post on Weibo. The brand, however, didn’t mention the exact launch date. Other smartphone companies including Nubia and Honor are hosting launch events on November 23 to unveil the Nubia Red Magic 9 Pro and the Honor 100 series. The Realme GT 5 Pro’s launch might also take place during this time.

In recent days Realme has teased a few specifications of the Realme GT 5 Pro. It is confirmed to ship with Qualcomm’s new Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 SoC and offer 1TB of storage. The display of the handset is confirmed to offer 3,000 nits of peak brightness. It is also teased to come with improved heat dissipation technology with a surface area of around 10,000mm square and an upgraded telephoto camera.

As per the TENAA listing of the Realme GT 5 Pro, it may sport a 6.78-inch (1,264×2,780 pixels) AMOLED display. It could be offered in 8GB, 12GB, and 16GB RAM options along with 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, and 1TB inbuilt storage options. It is said to have a triple rear camera unit comprising a 50-megapixel Sony LYTIA LYT808, another 50-megapixel OmniVision OV08D10 sensor, and an 8-megapixel Sony IMX890 telephoto sensor. For selfies, there could be a 32-megapixel sensor at the front.

The Realme GT 5 Pro might pack a 5,400mAh battery with support for 100W wired charging and 50W wireless charging.

The Motorola Edge 40 recently made its debut in the country as the successor to the Edge 30 that was launched last year. Should you buy this phone instead of the Nothing Phone 1 or the Realme Pro+? We discuss this and more on Orbital, the Gadgets 360 podcast. Orbital is available on Spotify, Gaana, JioSaavn, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music and wherever you get your podcasts.
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Vivo Watch 3 With BlueOS, 1.43-Inch Display Launched: Price, Specifications

Vivo Watch 3 was launched alongside the Vivo X100 series of smartphones in China on Monday. The smartwatch succeeds the Vivo Watch 2, which was introduced in December 2021. The Watch 3 is equipped with a BES2700BP SoC and packs a 505mAh battery. It comes with a 1.43-inch AMOLED display and runs on Vivo’s BlueOS. The smart wearable is offered in four colour options and is available in eSIM and Bluetooth variants. The watch can be bought in either soft rubber or leather strap options.

Vivo Watch 3 price, availability

Vivo Watch 3 is available in Chen Yehei (Black), Bright Moon, Moonlight White, and Starlight (translated from Chinese) colour options. The smartwatch is available for pre-order on the Vivo China website and it is available in four variants. It will go on sale starting November 21.

The Bluetooth version of the Vivo Watch 3 with a soft rubber strap is priced at CNY 1,099 (roughly Rs. 12,600), while the one with a leather strap is listed at CNY 1,199 (roughly Rs. 13,700). On the other hand, the soft rubber strap and leather options with eSIM support are marked at CNY 1,299 (roughly Rs. 14,900) and 1,399 (roughly Rs. 16,000), respectively.

Vivo Watch 3 specifications, features

Vivo Watch 3 comes with a 1.43-inch AMOLED display with a resolution of 466 x 466 pixels and always-on-display support. The smartwatch is powered by a BES2700BP SoC paired with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of inbuilt storage. It runs on Vivo’s self-developed Blue River Operating System or BlueOS and comes pre-installed with an app store. BlueOS also includes Vivo’s Jovi assistant alongside 10 watch faces.

The health-tracking wearable comes equipped with a Star Ring health sensor, which has an optical heart rate and a blood oxygen sensor. The Vivo Watch 3 also comes with support more than 100 sports modes, a sleep tracker, and a Running coach.

Vivo Watch 3 is backed by a 505mAh battery that is claimed to offer up to 7 days of usage on the eSIM variant and up to 16 days on the Bluetooth-only option. For voice calling, the watch carries a speaker and a microphone. It also comes with 5ATM water resistance rating.

The Vivo Watch 3 supports LTE via eSIM, Bluetooth 5.2 LE, GPS, GLONASS, GALILEO, Beidou, and NFC for payments. Weighing 36 grams without the straps, the body of the watch measures 46.1mm x 46.1mm x 13.75mm in size.

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YouTube Faces Criminal Complaint for ‘Spying’ on Users While Detecting Ad Blockers: Report

YouTube could face criminal charges in Europe for allegedly spying on users, according to a report. The Alphabet-owned video streaming platform recently introduced restrictions on ad blockers on the service, preventing users who used specific browser extensions from viewing videos. A privacy consultant, who has deemed Google’s new system to block ads ‘spyware’, is now preparing a complaint against Google under Irish law, for detecting ad blockers on users’ computers, weeks after filing a civil complaint with the Irish Data Protection Commission.

Privacy consultant Alexander Hanff is filing a complaint against YouTube under Ireland’s computer abuse law, The Register reports. Ireland’s National Police have reportedly acknowledged the consultant’s complaint and sought more information. According to Hanff, the video streaming service’s browser interrogation system — tracking scrips that are designed to identify ad blockers in use on a browser — is the equivalent of spying on citizens in the EU.

Last month, YouTube began cracking down on ad blockers globally, pushing users to either allow ads on the video streaming platform, or opt for the company’s YouTube Premium subscription. Days after informing users that the use of ad blockers would not be permitted on the service, the company raised the price of YouTube Premium subscriptions in seven countries — existing subscribers have a three-month grace period before they will be charged the new subscription fee, according to the company.

Hanff also told The Register that he believed the script used by YouTube to detect ad blockers was deployed with one purpose — to monitor his behaviour (whether ads were allowed to load in his browser) without his knowledge or authorisation — deeming it spyware.

According to the report, the consultant opted to file a criminal complaint against the search giant due to regulators’ abysmal track record of enforcing the Privacy and Electronic Communications Directive (or ePrivacy Directive) that came into force in 2002.

Hanff’s decision to file a criminal complaint comes shortly after he filed a civil complaint with the Irish Data Protection Commission against the video streaming platform’s new browser interrogation service. Google must now provide a response to the commission regarding the claims made by the privacy consultant, according to the report.

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Apple to Launch Refreshed iPad Air, iPad Pro Models in Two Display Sizes in 2024: Ming-Chi Kuo

Apple is planning on launching refreshed versions of the iPad Air and iPad Pro in 2024, according to TF Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo. In a new Medium blog post, Kuo claims that Apple will release a new 12.9-inch iPad Air model for the first time, alongside the regular 10.9-inch model. The upgraded iPad Pro models will feature the company’s new M3 chip and sport OLED displays, according to the analyst. Apple could also launch new iPad mini and 11th generation iPad models next year.

According to Kuo, Apple is planning to launch a 10.9-inch iPad Air model in the first quarter of 2024, that will be accompanied by a new 12.9-inch model. It will be equipped with the same Liquid Retina display as the smaller iPad Air, but will offer better performance thanks to an oxide backplane (the combination of the thin film transistor (TFT) and the substrate used for the display) that is also used on Apple’s current-generation iPad Pro models with Mini-LED displays.

The analyst states that Apple will also launch two new iPad Pro models that will ditch Mini-LED displays for OLED screens, between the first and second quarters of 2024. These models are expected to sport a new form factor and will be powered by Apple’s latest M3 chip — offering better display quality and power efficiency compared to existing iPad Pro models. A market research firm recently predicted that the larger iPad Pro model will sport a slightly larger 13-inch display.

Kuo predicts that Apple will ship around 6 to 8 million iPad Pro models in 2024, attributing the prediction for lower shipments to a possible price hike due to the addition of OLED screens. Meanwhile, the larger iPad Pro model could also face competition from the company’s purported 12.9-inch iPad Air model.

In the second half of 2024, Apple could launch a new iPad mini model, while the company is also expected to launch a refreshed 11th generation iPad, while production of the 9th Gen model — the last one to feature a Lightning port — will be finally phased out by the end of the year, according to Kuo.

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Honor Magic 6 Series to Support Upgraded Satellite Communication, Deeper AI Integration

Honor Magic 6 series is expected to launch soon. The lineup is likely to include a base and a Pro model. It is said to succeed the Honor Magic 5 series that was unveiled at the MWC 2023 event in Barcelona, Spain, earlier this year in February. The company has already confirmed a few key details of the models. Now, in an event in China, a company official has confirmed that the purported smartphones are likely to sport some upgraded features.

Honor CEO Zhao Ming reposted a Weibo post quoting Honor General Manager Li Kun, which said that the company has made significant advancements in the area of satellite communication. The announcement was made at the 2023 Digital Ecosystem Satellite Mobile Communications Industry Development Forum in China.

Kun explains that Honor’s new work solves major technical issues involving the antenna size, call duration, and overall communication experience and allows users to have a seamless experience with “the smallest antenna size, the most stable signal, and the most power-efficient operation” (translated from Chinese).

Tipster Digital Chat Station claimed that the Honor Magic 6 lineup models are likely to carry miniaturised satellite chips with “low-power call and heat dissipation technology” (translated from Chinese). The leak added that the Oppo Find X7 series models are also likely to carry these chips.

Previously, Honor had confirmed that the Magic 6 lineup would carry phones powered by Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 SoCs. They will also be equipped with a Magic Capsule feature, which looks like Apple’s Dynamic Island and claims to allow users to open up an app or engage with any kind of content on the handset by staring at the right spot. The series will also come with an inbuilt AI-supported chatbot, Yoyo, which is said to work like Google’s Bard.

Will the Nothing Phone 2 serve as the successor to the Phone 1, or will the two co-exist? We discuss the company’s recently launched handset and more on the latest episode of Orbital, the Gadgets 360 podcast. Orbital is available on Spotify, Gaana, JioSaavn, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music and wherever you get your podcasts.
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Apple Allegedly Testing iPhone 16 Pro Prototype With Hole-Punch Display

iPhone 16 series with at least four models — iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Plus, iPhone 16 Pro, iPhone 16 Pro Max — is likely to launch in late 2024, but we are already seeing multiple leaks about the upcoming lineup. Apple will reportedly pack a hole-punch cutout on the display of the iPhone 16 Pro, replacing the distinctive Dynamic Island feature. The Dynamic Island debuted last year exclusively on the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max. Apple equipped the pill-shaped cutout on all four iPhone 15 models this year.

Tipster Majin Bu (@MajinBuOfficial) on X claimed that Apple is currently testing a prototype version of the iPhone 16 Pro with a hole-punch cutout instead of the Dynamic Island. The final decision on the design might not be made until March next year. Further, the tipster states that the hole-punch-style display design will likely arrive with the iPhone 17. He has also shared a redesign of the potential change on the micro-blogging platform.

Apple introduced the software-based Dynamic Island feature on the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max last year. The Dynamic Island conceals the Face ID sensors and front-facing camera. It provides two separate cutouts on the display and integrates with iOS. Users can interact with the Dynamic Island to manage notifications, access Live Activities, and audio playback. This year, Apple has added Dynamic Island to the standard iPhone 15 (Review) models as well.

Display industry analyst Ross Young earlier opined that the entire iPhone 16 lineup will include the dynamic island next year and non-Pro models would match the screen sizes of the Pro models. According to him, the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max will feature around 6.3-inch and 6.9-inch display sizes, respectively.

Over the past few weeks, the iPhone 16 series has been tipped multiple times. The iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max could be powered by an A18 Pro Bionic chip based on a 3nm process, while the normal iPhone 16 models will get a toned-down version of the A17 Pro chip. Further, the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max models launching in 2024 might get around 6.3-inch and 6.9-inch display sizes, respectively. Apple is said to retain the Snapdragon X70 modem in the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus. Further, the Pro models are said to offer Wi-Fi 7 connectivity and might get a new ultra-wide lens on the rear.

Apple unveiled its first mixed reality headset, the Apple Vision Pro, at its annual developer conference, along with new Mac models and upcoming software updates. We discuss all the most important announcements made by the company at WWDC 2023 on Orbital, the Gadgets 360 podcast. Orbital is available on Spotify, Gaana, JioSaavn, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music and wherever you get your podcasts.
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