News

New WhatsApp Feature Is Set To Transform Voice Chats

An in-chat bubble will let up to 32 users join whenever they’re available.

Published

1 year ago

November 15, 2023

new whatsapp feature is set to transform voice chats

Whether you’re sharing family news or connecting with friends during a nail-biting sports event, there are often moments when you need to talk amongst yourselves in a WhatsApp group chat. Now, the Meta-owned company is introducing an exciting new feature that should revolutionize the messaging platform’s user experience by enabling up to 32 users to seamlessly join conversations without disruption.

Instead of intrusive automatic ringing, group participants will receive push notifications and can tap on a bubble to join the voice chat, offering a more user-friendly and less disruptive experience.

Once in a voice chat, participants can access call controls from the top of the interface. This ensures that users can manage call settings without hampering their ability to send and receive text messages simultaneously.

Voice chats will roll out on iOS and Android in the coming weeks, and in the early stages, WhatsApp will focus on larger group chats with participant ranges of 33 to 128. The latest update marks a significant stride towards refining WhatsApp’s user interface while enhancing group communication and adding an additional layer of security using end-to-end encryption.

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The latest WhatsApp update coincides with Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s news during the company’s recent earnings report that interactions between users and businesses have surpassed 600 million daily occurrences, with revenue hitting $293 million in Q3 — a 53% year-on-year increase.

WhatsApp now has over 2 billion monthly active users, making it one of the most widely used messaging platforms worldwide.

News

UAE Prepares To Launch Two Satellites: Thuraya-2 And MBZ-SAT

HH Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum chaired the first meeting of the Supreme Space Council yesterday.

Published

5 days ago

December 17, 2024

Nour Nasir

uae prepares to launch two satellites thuraya-2 and mbz-sat

HH Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Deputy Prime Minister of the UAE, chaired the first meeting of the Supreme Space Council in Dubai on December 16, 2024. The session highlighted the UAE’s ambitious space plans and took stock of the sector’s economic progress.

The council emphasized the growing role of private companies in advancing space technologies, noting that their contributions are now equal to that of the public sector. Members also praised initiatives like the Space Economic Zones Programme, which are designed to fuel innovation and investment in the space industry.

خلال ترؤسنا الاجتماع الأول للمجلس الأعلى للفضاء، بحثنا الاستثمارات الوطنية والمشاريع المقبلة في قطاع الفضاء والذي يشهد تطوراً مستمراً… وجددنا التزامنا بدعم ومواصلة تنفيذ برامج طموحة لاستكشاف الفضاء الخارجي حيث وصل حجم الاستثمارات في هذا القطاع إلى 40 مليار درهم خلال السنوات… pic.twitter.com/etJ33OnuSu

— Hamdan bin Mohammed (@HamdanMohammed) December 16, 2024

Discussing the UAE’s space journey, HH Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum remarked, “The national space sector continues to grow and advance, and we take immense pride in the remarkable achievements we have accomplished over the years”.

Sheikh Hamdan also received updates on two upcoming satellite projects: Thuraya-2 and MBZ-SAT. Thuraya-2, developed by Space42, is slated for launch this December. Meanwhile, the MBZ-SAT, created by the Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC), will soon follow. MBRSC, a major driver of the UAE National Space Programme, continues to lead the nation’s space-related developments.

Space42 took the opportunity to showcase its advancements, including ongoing collaborations between public and private entities. The company also outlined strategies to promote innovation, boost revenue streams, and create new opportunities for growth in the sector.

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The UAE’s current projects build on a growing legacy of space exploration. Back in 2020, the nation made headlines with its Mars mission, successfully sending a probe into the planet’s orbit in 2021. This mission, which is now in its second phase as of June 2024, has been collecting critical data to develop a comprehensive diurnal image of Mars.

The UAE also ventured into lunar exploration with an unmanned mission aimed at studying untouched regions of the Moon’s surface. While the probe ultimately crashed during its landing attempt after communication was lost seconds before touchdown, the effort represented a significant step in the country’s exploration ambitions.