News

Visit Iconic Mosques Worldwide With MetaMosque VR

For those with disabilities or economic challenges, visiting the Great Mosque of Mecca is now a real possibility.

Published

10 months ago

April 5, 2024

visit iconic mosques worldwide with metamosque vr

For Muslims worldwide, visiting mosques is of crucial religious and cultural importance. Unfortunately, not everyone shares easy access to a local place of worship, and many Muslims certainly can’t afford a pilgrimage to Al Haram, the Great Mosque of Mecca — even just once in their lifetime. Now, a new virtual reality project is attempting to break down those barriers.

MetaMosque is a virtual app that enables users to experience mosques around the world. Through the platform, Muslims can take part in a spiritual journey to experience the wonder of some of the world’s most significant mosques, fostering a sense of belonging and connection to these vital religious spaces, regardless of circumstances.

Samera Abed, CEO and founder of MetaMosque, devised the project for her 90-year-old mother, who now struggles to attend a mosque by herself.

“So just like how I taught her to use an iPhone, I am teaching her to be part of a community,” Abed explained. “She can go to her childhood mosque whenever she wants”.

Also Read: Yango App Now Alerts Muslim Drivers To Prayer Times

Available on Meta Quest, the MetaMosques immersive experience offers an engaging virtual exploration of prayer halls and a close look at the fine architectural details of some of the world’s most iconic Islamic buildings. After a virtual visit, users are encouraged to share their experiences in online discussions that aim to grow the accompanying MetaMosque community.

“I also know that this will be a great gift for many Muslims in the world who have disabilities or are facing economic challenges,” Abed adds.

MetaMosque currently offers access to ten mosques and a Majlis. The app is available on multiple platforms, including iOS, Android, PC, and Meta Quest, with inbuilt AI that can answer questions on Islamic knowledge and the history of these mosques, along with personalized reminders for upcoming religious events.

News

Truecaller For iPhone Gets Real-Time Caller ID And Auto Spam Blocking

The latest update integrates with Apple’s Live Caller ID Lookup framework, launched with iOS 18 last year.

Published

3 hours ago

January 23, 2025

Nour Nasir

Truecaller

Truecaller has rolled out a major update for iPhone users, introducing API support that brings real-time caller identification and automatic spam blocking. The upgrade aims to bring the iOS version of the app closer to its Android counterpart, which has long offered these advanced call-screening features.

The latest update integrates with Apple’s Live Caller ID Lookup framework, launched with iOS 18 last year. The technology allows third-party apps to cross-check incoming calls against a database of known spam numbers in real-time. Importantly, the process employs “homomorphic encryption,” ensuring user privacy by masking the caller’s number, concealing the client’s IP address, and using anonymous authentication.

With this update, Truecaller has also introduced global automatic spam call blocking for iPhones. However, the real-time caller ID feature is being released gradually and is available only to Truecaller Premium subscribers on iPhones running iOS 18.2 or later. Free users will still have access to ad-supported features, such as manual number searches and caller identification for verified businesses.

How To Enable The New Features

To activate the new features, follow these steps:

Update the Truecaller app to version 14.0 or newer via the App Store.
Go to Settings > Apps > Phone > Call Blocking & Identification on your iPhone.
Turn on all Truecaller toggles, then restart the app.

Also Read: “AI Seal” Certification Now Required For Dubai Gov Partnerships

While these features are new to iOS, Truecaller has hinted at this update for months. Following Apple’s iOS 18 update and the introduction of its Live Caller ID API last September, Truecaller Co-founder Alan Mamedi shared his excitement on X (formerly Twitter), saying, “Truecaller finally works on iPhone”.

The global rollout of spam call blocking is already live, but users may need to wait for gradual access to the live caller ID feature.