Technology

Transferring WhatsApp chat from iOS to Android is now a reality. The company has announced to roll out new support for the same. It allows users to migrate chats. The company said that users can transfer their chat history when they switch from iOS to Android devices. This is, however, restricted to Samsung Android devices. Notably, Samsung at its Unpacked event had announced the feature. For now, WhatsApp didn’t allow users to transfer chats when they switch from one OS to another. This resulted in losing the chat data. According to WhatsApp, users can transfer only during the initial setup. It said that the new device should be factory new.

WhatsApp earlier allowed users to store their chat. Users can transfer chat through its cloud backup feature. But iOS and Android chat histories were stored differently. The feature stored iOS chat histories in iCloud. Android’s histories were stored in Google Drive. This didn’t allow transferring chat on devices running on different OS. When users switched from iOS to Android or vice-versa, they could not transfer their chat. They were able to transfer chats only between phones that are running the same OS. The company said that besides moving chat and chat histories of both individuals and groups, users can also transfer account information, profile photo, and media.

WhatsApp said that old iPhone owners should need to run the instant messaging app’s version 2.21.160.17 or above to enjoy the transfer chats feature. The new Samsung devices should run the app’s 2.21.16.20 Android version or above. Also, Samsung’s new device should have the SmartSwitch app installed. The app’s version 3.7.22.1 or above is required for migrating chats. Users will also need USB-C and Lightning cables. The chart transfer will take place via these two. Users will need to complete the activation of the new device once the transfer is finished. Users will then be able to see the chats. Notably, the ability to transfer chat was a long pending demand by the users.

The stage is set for the launch of the James Webb Space Telescope. The US space agency NASA has developed the observatory. Astronomers are hopeful that the James Webb Space Telescope will open a new era of discovery. NASA has announced that the telescope will be launched on December 18. NASA has spent USD 10 billion to develop the telescope. It will succeed the Hubble Space Telescope. The James Webb Space Telescope is bigger than the Hubble. The Hubble telescope was launched in 1990. It operates in low Earth orbit. It has provided spectacular views of the cosmos since then and helped in solving space mysteries. NASA has described it as the world’s most complex space telescope.

The James Webb Space Telescope is a joint project by NASA, ESA, and CSA. The telescope will be shipped from California to Europe’s French Guiana. It will lift off aboard Ariane 5 rocket. The observatory is touted to be the most powerful space telescope ever developed. It can look back in time. According to NASA, the James Webb Space Telescope can see the first stars. It can detect infrared. The Hubble telescope also can detect infrared but to a limited extent. Astronomers believe that the James Webb Space Telescope will open new avenues of investigation for scientists to understand the Universe and search for alien worlds.

The James Webb Space Telescope completed its final tests in August. NASA had earlier targeted to launch it in March 2021. It pushed the date to October and later to December. The US space agency said that the dates were postponed due to the pandemic. NASA said that the telescope will be a major turning point in humans’ science journey to understand the Universe and its origin. The telescope will not operate in low Earth orbit just like the Hubble. It will travel for a month to reach its orbital location in space. The location is approximately one million miles away from Earth. It will start scientific operations around six months after launch.

Tech giant Apple is planning to release iPhone 13 lineup. The company will introduce a set of new features. The iPhone maker has hinted that it could launch a new MagSafe charger. A new filing said that the charger will come with an updated design. Apple has got MagSafe charger listed on Federal Communications Commission’s website. This has made it evident that Apple could bring a new MagSafe charger at iPhone 13 launch event. The latest design will the charger a new look from the existing units. The filing said that Apple has tested the upcoming MagSafe charger with at least eight different iPhone models. This could be a new big feature of the iPhone 13.

Apple had last year introduced the ‌MagSafe‌ charger with ‌iPhone 12‌ models. It can charge at a maximum of 15 Watts. The MagSafe charger is designed by Apple to provide a quick and safe wireless charging facility. The aligned magnets are attached to iPhone. It provides faster wireless charging. It was first announced in October last year when Apple released iPhone 12 lineup. Apple’s filing said that the new MagSafe charger will provide even greater speed for charging iPhone 13 models. The MagSafe charger for iPhone 13 models will very likely work almost similar to iPhone 12’s. Reports say that Apple could bring a wireless charger that is compatible with both lineups.

The iPhone maker will launch a new series next week. The pre-orders will begin on September 17. The new models will go on sale at retail stores from September 24. The new series will have four models on the lines of the iPhone 12. While iPhone 13 Mini will sport a 5.4-inch display, iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 Pro will come with a 6.1-inch display each. The iPhone 13 Pro Max will have a 6.7-inch display. Apple is likely to offer larger batteries and next-gen A15 chips in all four models. All the devices will be 5G compatible. All four models will sport the LiDAR sensor. Apple has hinted that it will also offer satellite communication connectivity. This will help users to make calls and send messages without having cellular coverage.

Samsung’s new foldable smartphone Galaxy Z Flip 3 is the first to challenge conventionally designed phones. In terms of processing power, it is identical to the Galaxy S21, which was introduced earlier this year. Reminiscent to Samsung’s previous flagships, the screen operates at a flawless refresh rate of 120Hz. According to reports, it’s built with a new, more robust material and is IPX8 water-proof, just as expected from a modern smartphone manufacturer. The last benefit is that the Z Flip 5G starts at USD 1,000, USD 450 cheaper than the Z Flip 5G it succeeds. Those prices bring the Flip 3 on par with several high-end non-folding smartphones. Nonetheless, there are a few areas where it falls short of conventional phones.

The notion of a foldable phone is unique.  For the first time, a folding smartphone that is not exclusively for initial enthusiasts can attract even mainstream users. Unlike the original Galaxy Flip as well as the Flip 5G, which were released last year, the Flip 3’s appearance is essentially unchanged. Unlike the Galaxy Fold line, the objective of this foldable smartphone is not to transform a regular phone into a tablet instead to do the contrary: turn a huge smartphone into something which fits easily in a user’s pocket. The Flip 3 has a 6.7-inch display, but when folded, it is about the size of a wallet.

The Flip 3 model functions at a 120hz refresh rate and has an aspect ratio of 1080 pixels per inch only when unfolded. It has the same quick touch response, vivid colors, deep blacks, and seamless scrolling as Samsung’s previous OLED displays. As a result, it’s easier to see in the sunlight and looks excellent when watching a video. In terms of speed and quality, it is on pace with other flagship devices. However, besides the Flip 3’s larger 9:22 aspect ratio, it operates like every contemporary smartphone. With a Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 CPU, as well as 8GB of RAM power, the Galaxy Flip 3’s performance is equal to any other new smartphone introduced this year, including the Galaxy S21. The Flip 3’s lens setup is possibly the place where Samsung has made a minimal improvement. This year’s Flip 5G has the same 12-megapixel regular, wide, and ultra-wide back cameras as last year’s Flip 5G, as well as a 10-megapixel front-facing camera. The Z flip is expected to disrupt the conventional smartphone market to a certain extent. Info about the smartphone market is publically available on a wide range of analytical forums.

After the Taliban’s annexation of Afghanistan, Facebook announced on Thursday that they are introducing additional steps to safeguard susceptible individuals. According to a tweet by Nathaniel Gleicher, Facebook’s director of cybersecurity policies, the company’s employees have been operating throughout August to do what they can to protect the security of its customers. As of July 2021, there are roughly 4,668,700 Facebook users in Afghanistan, accounting for approximately 11.8 percent of the country’s total inhabitants. Males make up the majority of these users (82.6%). The greatest disparity between males and females is in the age group 25-34, wherein men outnumber women by about 1,400,000 in number.

Since assuming control over Afghanistan, the Taliban has attempted to project a much more civilized image, although stories of violent attacks and deaths have weakened those attempts. Taliban gunmen have killed a relative of a DW journalist and have seriously wounded another of his family members. The Taliban are going door to door in an attempt to locate the reporter, who now operates in Germany. The social media platform is adding a function that allows individuals to lock down their accounts with a single click, prohibiting people outside of their circle from accessing their display photos or viewing their uploads.

Gleicher laid out Facebook’s objectives in a number of tweets. In order to safeguard Afghan Instagram users, he claimed the corporation is handing out notifications. In Afghanistan, individuals will no longer be able to browse or explore their friends’ lists on Facebook profiles, in order to prevent individuals from getting targeted.

After Joe Biden stood by his commitment to remove the US military, and stop a 2-decade-long conflict, the Taliban immediately took command of Afghanistan this month. The US has hastened the evacuation of thousands of individuals by cargo planes. New features on the social media platform were built using inputs from activists, reporters, as well as civil society organizations. Facebook has set up a dedicated operations center to deal with emerging concerns as they surface. Taliban is expected to take an extremely undemocratic action towards internet freedom, which is anticipated to hinder the usage of social media in the country significantly. Data regarding the social media market in the Middle East is widely available on various research platforms, if you wish to find more information, get in touch.

Elon Musk revealed during Tesla’s AI Day on Thursday, 19 February 2021, that the organization is working on developing a commercially available humanoid robot and would have a prototype model by next year. It will be designed to help deal with a job that is tedious, repetitive, and potentially harmful. It is unclear if or not this robot will be available for sale, or how much it will cost. A screen will be placed where a human face is to convey helpful info. This robot, according to Musk, will have a substantial economic impact. Physical labor will be optional in the future, he claimed, and a basic universal income will be required.

Musk is one of the most influential Silicon Valley entrepreneurs and has warned that automation may replace countless individuals’ employment, necessitating the creation of a new stream of money for certain individuals. Humanoid robots have long piqued people’s interest in popular culture. However, building a humanoid robot capable of doing human jobs has proven to be extremely challenging. Machine learning has progressed quickly, yet it still stutters to even compete with a toddler’s overall abilities. Robotics implementations have traditionally been limited to activities such as moving products at a plant or cleaning a house on its own.

Musk’s groundbreaking efforts at Tesla & SpaceX have thrown the automotive and aerospace sectors into disarray. However, he has a track record of chronic lateness and overpromising, Musk has not had much luck with his previous claims. Tesla’s automated driving system is being investigated by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, as well as 2 US Senators who have urged the Federal Trade Commission to look into whether Tesla’s advertising of the technology is fraudulent. The humanoid, according to Musk, is an offshoot of Tesla’s efforts towards autonomous vehicles. The robots will utilize the exact processing chip as Tesla’s automobiles and will operate using 8 sensors. The humanoid will be 5’8” tall, weighing 125 pounds. According to Musk, it will be able to carry up to 45 pounds and travel at a speed of 5 miles per hour. Elon stated that Tesla will give the robot 5 fingers, to begin with, however, that this could vary.

Tesla intended to prove it is more than just an electric vehicle manufacturer, Musk stated at Tesla’s AI Day. Numerous staff members also gave presentations concerning Tesla’s artificial intelligence capability, which is crucial for the development of self-driving vehicles and humanoid robots. Elon also teased that the robots would be human-friendly. Robots have a wide variety of applications in the global industrial sector, all information regarding the same is abundantly available on various research forums. However, the demand for a humanoid robot in the global markets is still uncertain.

The much-awaited James Webb Space Telescope is now ready. NASA said that engineers have completed the final testing of the telescope. The testing was successful. The long-spanning comprehensive testing was done at the facilities of aerospace and defense firm Northrop Grumman. NASA said that engineers are now preparing to move James Webb Space Telescope to its launch site. The preparation is likely to be completed in September. The telescope will be launched in November or December year. NASA had earlier decided to launch the telescope in October. But the agency recently pushed back the launch date. NASA had previously set March as the deadline to launch the telescope. But some technical challenges and the pandemic forced the agency to postpone the date.

James Webb Space Telescope is touted to be the most advanced telescope. It will succeed the Hubble Space Telescope. The space agency said that the telescope is at a major turning point ahead of the launch date. NASA said that the new instrument will give a push to the astrophysics mission. It said that the dedicated workforce completed the work within time despite multiple challenges. The teams will continue to check its parts and the communications network as shipment work gets underway. Launch rehearsals are being done to iron out challenges if any. The telescope will lift off from French Guiana aboard Ariane 5. Ariane 5 is a European launch vehicle. The James Webb Space Telescope is a result of the contribution of thousands of scientists, engineers, and professionals from other walks of life from more than 14 countries.

NASA said that the spacecraft will be separated from Ariane 5 after 26 minutes of the ride. The spacecraft will take nearly one month time to reach the telescope’s orbital location. The telescope will not be in orbit around the Earth like the Hubble Space Telescope. It will be located at a distance of nearly one million miles from Earth and orbit the Sun. The telescope will begin its scientific operations six months after the launch date. According to NASA’s claim, James Webb Space Telescope is the largest, most complex, and powerful telescope ever built by any agency in the world. The agency is hopeful that it will solve the mysteries of the solar system and provide a view of other worlds in the universe.

Popular Chinese app TikTok is planning to introduce augmented reality (AR) effects on the platform. TikTok is a video-sharing platform. It has its own AR ambitions. The company is now working on creative tools. The company wants to take on rivals like Snap and Facebook. It has launched a new creative toolset. It is testing the toolset in the beta version privately. The toolset is called TikTok Effect Studio. The toolset will allow developers to build AR effects. TikTok is inviting developers to sign up to get early access. TikTok’s decision to build an AR development platform assumes significance as Lens Studio of Snapchat and Spark AR Studio of Facebook are growing.

TikTok has launched a new website for this. On the portal, the company under the title Effect House is providing a form to the developers. They have to fill in the details including information about the TikTok account. Besides, developers will have to share information like level of experience and samples of their work to get access. It is also asking if developers are using a Mac or PC. TikTok said that the project is in the initial stage and is limited to a few markets which include the US. TikTok didn’t share any time frame for making the toolset available broadly. When launched publicly, TikTok users will be able to use the AR effects in their videos.

TikTok’s AR effects will help the company to match its rivals. It expects an increase in the user base as new AR campaigns are in the fashion. TikTok current offers filters of which music is a part. It is likely that music to play a part in the new creative toolset. The short-video platform was the most downloaded social media app in 2020. It surpassed Facebook’s numbers to grab the first position. TikTok is popular among youngsters. Its popularity increased manifolds during the pandemic. The platform was launched in 2016 by ByteDance. The international version of TikTok was launched in 2017. It has more than 650 million active users on the monthly basis.

Space radiation is very dangerous. Exposure to it could pose risk to life. Space radiation has a sufficient amount of energy that can affect the DNA and cause damages to a cell. This can lead to a series of serious health problems and its effects could be experienced in a long term. Therefore, astronauts need to shield themselves from space radiation when they are in space. To protect astronauts from the risk of exposure to radiation at the International Space Station, NASA has developed a technique that will protect the rotating laboratory from harmful rays. The ISS experiences radiation as it flies in the low Earth orbit. Notably, the space radiation is greater at higher latitudes.

The ISS is inclined nearly 51 degrees as it circles the Earth. It is exposed to more radiation than space shuttles. A space shuttle flies at 28 degrees and faces less radiation than the ISS. NASA researchers said that the new technique will help in predicting the radiation risk while planning future space missions. Researchers said that there are three main sources of space radiation. They originate from particles shot during solar flares; that are trapped in the magnetic field of Earth, and galactic cosmic rays generated outside the solar system. Researchers are studying how ISS astronauts’ DNA responds when they are exposed to Earth radiation and during spaceflight. Researchers will measure the changes in their chromosomes to determine the level of risk.

Researchers believe that several factors including age and sex also have a role in this. This will help astronauts to find methods and develop techniques to protect them from space radiation. Researchers measured the baseline chromosomal status of astronauts before they flew to the ISS. They examined blood cells to get the status. These blood cells were then exposed to gamma-ray. This provided an opportunity to measure the chromosomal changes. Researchers again collected blood samples from the astronauts after their return from the ISS to measure alterations in the chromosome. They discovered a higher level of irregularities in the baseline chromosome of older astronauts than the younger members.

Twitter is rolling out new updates for Spaces. Spaces is an audio chat service by the microblogging site. It allows users to host live audio chats. The company said that Spaces will soon get more options. This includes new rules for participants and also an option for replay in a live conversation. At present, the features are under development. The features were recently discovered in Twitter’s code. Twitter Spaces is likely to get four new options. The options will give more control to hosts over the audio chat room. Twitter also wants a proper set of rules to be in place for those using Spaces services.

Twitter has hinted that the new rules will have a separate section for hosts. They can use this section to define what content the participants can and cannot say during the live chat on Spaces. Twitter is also developing a block option. This will allow users to restrict some users from joining a live chat. They can limit the conversation to certain users. This will help them to filter a specific group of users. Twitter will also add a replay feature. It will allow users to check the duration of a conversation and also see the participants.

Notably, Twitter has no replay-like feature currently. It doesn’t allow users to listen to a conversation again. A user can join Spaces only when the conversation is lively. Twitter will make the replay an optional feature. When the replay is enabled, users will be able to check how long the chat lasted and the list of participants. Twitter has been updating its audio chat service consistently. It projects Spaces as a competitor to Clubhouse. The Clubhouse was launched in April 2020 and Twitter Spaces in November. It is a platform that is based on voice. Users can talk and listen in real-time. Twitter allows accounts with a minimum of 600 followers to host an audio conversation. Twitter recently rolled out a web version of Spaces on the desktop and mobile. Twitter Spaces was earlier available via apps on iOS and Android.

China has described its Mars exploration mission as a complete success. The announcement came after the rover completed its planned exploration tasks on the Red Planet. China’s Mars exploration mission is named Tianwen-1. The name of the rover is Zhurong. This is China’s first Mars exploration mission. The mission was launched in July 2020. The probe entered into the Martian orbit in February this year. The probe circled the planned to identify a landing site for Zhurong. The rover landed on the planet’s surface on May 14. It touched down at Utopia Planitia which is a large plain. Zhurong is the first Mars rover to land on another planet. It has since then sent several photographs of the Red Planet.

According to Zhurong’s designer, the rover achieved a milestone in the last 90 Martian days. It has reached the initial working target. The rover is still in healthy condition. It is fastly moving ahead on the surface. The rover is continuing with the exploration task. The rover has covered a distance of 889 meters in the last three months. The orbiter is also in good condition. Both the orbiter and rover are providing vital data. Chinese researchers said that the mission has helped them to learn more about the Earth’s neighbor that is believed to have hosted Earth-like life. China is hopeful that Tianwen-1 will allow scientists to develop and determine the path for future missions that include landing astronauts on the planet and deep space exploration.

According to China, both the orbiter and rover have collected 420 gigabytes of data. This includes visuals of land, analysis of Martian soil, and the atmosphere. The probe will allow scientists to understand the planet’s atmosphere in a better way. The Martian atmosphere is very thin. The temperature drops to minus 50 degrees Celsius in some parts. The solar outage is a big challenge on mars. The sunlight is the main source of energy for the rover’s battery system. The cold and little sunlight could affect its communication system. By mid-September, Mars and Earth will be farthest apart as the Sun will be between the two planets. Sun’s radiation could pose a difficulty in sending and receiving signals from the orbiter and rover.

Tesla chief executive officer Elon Musk recently said that he is hopeful that Gigafactory in Germany’s Berlin would start production of cars as soon as in October. Musk said this after visiting the plant in Grünheide, near Berlin. The expected starting date of the production at Tesla’s first European plant has been pushed back and the company has blamed bureaucratic hurdles of the country for it. There are some environmental concerns too. The factory is facing resistance from the local public. All these have resulted in the delay. This is the reason why the Tesla CEO met the leaders of the German state Brandenburg. Dietmar Woidke, state premier of Brandenburg, too attended the meeting. The information was shared by Economy Minister Joerg Steinbach on Twitter. Steinbach also posted a picture of Musk while sharing the information.”It was a very relaxed evening meeting with Tesla CEO Elon Musk. The meeting was held in an atmosphere of mutual trust during which we discussed the remaining tasks. Thank you Elon Musk and your family for the visit,” Steinbach wrote on the microblogging site. Steinbach tweeted this soon after public flight data showed that the electric-vehicle entrepreneur’s jet landed in Germany where Musk is facing delay in trying to begin the production at the new manufacturing site.

The meeting comes as Armin Laschet is visited Tesla’s site. Laschet is the conservative candidate and he met local staff as part of his election campaign. The progress at the plant has been slow because of several issues. Musk, who has blamed German red tape for the delays, had visited the factory in May as well. The expected date for starting production has already been pushed back by Tesla. The factory is now expected to start production in late 2021. But the factory is yet to give final approval from the environmental agency in Brandenburg. Any further delay in granting approval means that starting of production would be possible in 2022. This is the reason Musk has been regularly visiting Germany. Speaking about a recent visit to the plant, Musk said – “We are looking forward to getting the approval at the earliest. If everything goes in a planned manner and we are fortunate enough, the production is likely to begin in October.” But getting required approvals is not the only challenge faced by Musk at the moment. Lately, he called two semiconductor manufacturers ‘problematic.’ Musk said that because of the supply shortage of key components that are used in electric vehicles produced by Tesla. The two of the world’s largest chipmakers who were pointed out by Musk are – Japan’s Renesas and Germany’s Bosch.

The auto industry is facing a shortage of chips, which are used in most electronic devices. The shortage continues to hurt the production of vehicles. Several manufacturing sites have to slow down the production as demand outstrips supply. The main reason behind the shortage of chips is the coronavirus pandemic. When the coronavirus pandemic struck, almost all factories and manufacturing were forced to close operations. But the demand for vehicles picked up much faster than expected, resulting in a shortage of chips. Also, technologies like 5G which require heavy chips are also the cause. “It is well known that cars manufactured by Tesla in the first quarter are for export and that in the second quarter is for the local market. It is public that we are operating under extreme supply-chain limitations. By far, most problematic are Renesas and Bosch,” Musk had said while replying to Ark Investment Management Chief Executive Cathie Wood. But there is some good news for Tesla investors as well as semiconductor manufacturer Bosch has is expected to start production of automotive chips in its new factory in Germany. The production is likely to begin by next month.

Popular photo-sharing app Instagram has launched news tools to address rising hate on the platform. The company said that new safety features will protect users from offensive comments and abuse. Users can now limit who can see the comments. They can hike offensive words. Besides, they can also limit DM requests. Instagram said that there will be stern warnings if someone tries to post offensive comments. The Facebook-owned application said that it wants to make the platform a place for healthier discussion. Instagram added that it is the company’s responsibility to ensure that users feel safe when they post a photo or video.

Instagram and other social media platforms have been struggling to address the rising hate speech and bullying. Instagram underlined that it takes action whenever it finds such content. The new set of tools will protect users from having ugly experiences. Instagram has already taken measures to address such abuses. It gets feedback from users, experts, and the community and takes action accordingly. The company said that it is working on features to grant more control to users to fight abuse and safeguard their interests. The Limits feature is mainly aimed at hiding offensive content. When turned on, it will automatically hide such comments. This will filter unnecessary comments and engagements on a post.

Instagram said that it brought the new tools after creators and public figures complaint of a spike in offensive comments and DM requests. The Limits feature is available for Instagram users worldwide. It said that if a user posts offensive comments several times, it will remind the person about the Community Guidelines. It will remove or hide the comment. Instagram started developing anti-harassment tools after racist abuse involving UK footballers in DMs. Although Instagram has no algorithm that can access direct messages, the company is making efforts to check the spread of such content. Instagram said that it is necessary to raise awareness against hate speech that is prevalent across the world.

Instacart has been hiring some of the famous names as part of a reshuffle in its ranks executive ranks. The grocery delivery giant has now nabbed another Facebook veteran. This time it has hired longtime Facebook ads chief Carolyn Everson. 49-year-old Everson had left the social media giant in June this year. She has joined the company as president and will look after a range of operations. The company said that she would oversee business development, retail, advertising, and human resources. Apart from overseeing all these divisions, Everson will also work as a strategic advisor to the CEO. She is set to join the company in her new role next month. Everson worked with Facebook for almost a decade before joining the company. The series of new hiring by the company comes ahead of its highly anticipated initial public offering. Before hiring Everson, Instacart had hired another Fidji Simo, who was head of the app at Facebook. Simo has joined the company as chief executive officer. Fidji Simo, former head of the Facebook app, took over as CEO. Simo said that he had worked with Everson for a long time and therefore knows how lucky Instacart is to have her leadership.

She had announced her decision to move on from the company in a post on June 9. Before taking this step, she was working as vice president of global marketing solutions at Facebook. She was the face of the social media giant for major advertisers and played a key role in managing relationships. Before joining Facebook, she worked with Microsoft Corporation. She looked advertising business of Microsoft’s different platforms including MSN, Windows Live, and Bing. With Everson joining the company, more than half of Instacart’s executive leadership team is held by women. Commenting on this, Simo said that have more women executives is important for Instacart as most of the customers of the company are women. “Women make up around 80 percent of customers of Instacart. Also, 70 percent of gig workers of the company are women. So it is our responsibility to have a leadership team that really represents the people you are trying to serve,” the chief executive officer of the company recently said. Instacart is the second-largest grocery delivery and pickup company in the United States. The San Francisco-based company has captured around 45 percent of the market as of June. The largest company in this area is Walmart. Instacart CEO feels that around 25 percent of groceries will be delivered online in the next five years.

Instacart provides services in the United States and Canada and offers same-day delivery and pickup. The company got extremely popular during the coronavirus pandemic. As the restrictions forced people to stay indoors, they started to use the delivery service. This resulted in a huge surge in the delivery demand and it catapulted the startup into a delivery giant. In order to fulfill it, the company had to hire thousands of workers. The exponential growth during the period put the company in a strong position in the delivery service market. The company continues to improve its services and this is why it recently inked a deal with e-commerce technology startup Fabric. As part of the deal, Fabric would equip Instacart with robots. Simo believes that the deployment of robots in fulfillment centers would help speed up delivery and will also cut costs. Instacart has not disclosed the financial terms of the partnership but terms it a step towards the ‘next-gen’ fulfillment process. Instacart also said in a statement that it is looking to build a new standalone warehouse.

Popular photo-sharing platform Instagram has announced a new feature for its Stories feature. The new option will translate text in Stories automatically. Instagram said that whenever a foreign language is detected in a post, it will show a See Translation option. It will be displayed on the top left corner of the screen. Users can translate the text just by tapping it. The translation will be displayed at the bottom of the post. Instagram said that the feature is being rolled out for users worldwide. The new translation feature currently supports over 90 languages. The company said that it will increase it gradually and improvise it as required.

The feature will make it easier for users to share content with international audiences. The feature was in the making for a long time. There will be no parity between traditional posts and Stories on Instagram. It will help users to involve large numbers of audiences in a post and create more engagement. The translation feature is not new to Instagram. It brought a similar feature in 2016. However, it was limited to comments and intros. It allows users to automatically translate comments, captions, and bios. The translation is based on the language setting of the account. The new feature can only translate text and doesn’t support audio translation.

Instagram has also announced a new Sensitive Content Control option. It will ensure that sensitive content is not shown to users from accounts they don’t follow on the platform. It provides the ability to users to control what kind of content can appear on Explore feeds. This will allow users to turn off comments they don’t wish to see or read. They can also restrict someone from interacting. The company believes that this will help in checking violent posts, harmful information, or fake news. The Sensitive Content Control can be accessed in the Settings menu. Instagram said that the new features will help shape up user experience the way they want.

Instant messaging app WhatsApp has ensured that your chats remain private. Chats on the platform are end-to-end encrypted and therefore gives a sense of security to users. But this feature is only for your current messages on the app. There is no such encryption for chats they are backed to iCloud or Google Drive by users. This simply means that if there is a search warrant, these cloud companies would be required to hand over data access and this will include WhatsApp chats backup as they are not encrypted. But it seems this will be the case for just a matter of days as the Facebook-owned company is working on chat backup encryption.

There are reports that WhatsApp is now testing a technology on Android to independently encrypt WhatsApp backups on the drive. Some reports further suggest that the update has been enabled on version 2.21.15.5 of WhatsApp on Android platforms. At present beta testing for the feature is underway and it is expected that users will have the option to opt for this feature. This is totally understandable as there is the possibility of major risk. So when the feature is activated, both media history as well chat are stored in the cloud backups. This can be then protected using a password. But there’s a catch as in case you losses your smartphone and forget your password, it is almost certain that it won’t be possible to restore the backup.

As the backup password won’t be shared with WhatsApp, Google or Facebook, recovering the backup becomes impossible. The reports suggest that passwords will contain only lowercase letters and digits. The feature is still in the testing phase and it is not sure whether it will see the light of the day or not. But one this is sure that this feature will bring a major relief for users as they would be able to keep their chats secure. There are several other features that WhatsApp is testing and if everything goes well, they would surely be rolled out soon.

Deepfakes have received a lot of attention from the public worldwide. It has become a powerful tool to influence perceptions. It is also used by bad actors for spreading misinformation and fake news. The technology allows the editing of videos easily. Technology is getting better every day. The doctored video content appears in a way that they are real. To crackdown on such content, social media giant Facebook has developed a new method. The method can detect and track the source of deepfakes. It also involves reverse engineering. It analyzes AI-generated imagery. This lets Facebook identify the model that created the video. Facebook said that it has signed a pact with researchers at the Michigan State University to double down on deepfakes.

Facebook said that this is the first time when such a method has been developed to detect deepfakes. It is also the first time when the source can be detected. This will be useful in curbing the spread of misinformation on the platform. Facebook has come under severe criticism in the US and different countries for not doing enough to check the spread of misinformation and fake news. The new Facebook method comes in the backdrop of viral videos of Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Pelosi appeared drunk in the video. She had come down heavily on Facebook called the social media platform a shameful company.

Facebook said that deepfake software is extremely easy to customize. But the new method of image attribution can help identify videos’ generative model and trace the activity of bad actors. The company said that researchers can now obtain information about the model used for creating deepfakes using the new method. It said that the method will be useful in the real world. Facebook said that the method is a step further to deduce data about deepfakes. Earlier, Microsoft had launched a new tool to combat the spread of misinformation by spotting deepfakes. The tool identifies synthetic media that are manipulated by artificial intelligence.

Social media giant Facebook is rolling out Live Audio Room. It will allow users to host audio rooms in real-time. The Live Audio Room is, however, limited to some of the American public figures and certain groups. They can start hosting rooms via the main Facebook app on iOS. They can invite followers, verified figures, or any listeners to be a speaker in the room. Facebook said that the host of the audio room can invite speakers in advance and during the conversation as well. A total of 50 speakers can join a room. There is no cap on the number of listeners who can join the room. The new Live Audio Room is aimed at taking on rivals Clubhouse and Spotify. Facebook said that it will expand its support to the public in the coming months.

Facebook in a statement said that admins in groups will have control over moderators and group members. Both visitors and members can listen in public groups. But in private groups, only members can listen. Facebook said that it is also making podcasts available. Users can listen to podcasts via a player. Facebook said that it will provide controls to allow users to listen when the screen is off. Users can find shows on News Feed and podcast creators’ pages. The company said that it will soon introduce an automatic captioning feature. The clips feature will allow listeners to create and share clips.

Facebook said that listeners can extend support to the public figure on the Live Audio Room. The company has provided options to send stars to show appreciation. Facebook is also rolling out multiple features including a notification. A notification will be sent to the host when followers and friends join a room. A new button ‘raise a hand’ has been made available. The button will allow requesting to join the room. Besides, there is an option available to submit reactions during the chat. Meanwhile, Facebook said that it is working with creators on Soundbites. It is a short-form audio feature. Users can record short voice messages and share them on the platform.