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Europe was happy with the changes in the App Store, but not with those in Google Play. There is a historic fine at stake

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Google is in the crosshairs of the European Commission. A few days ago they announced a new investigation into monopolistic practices with AI summaries, but it is not the only front they have open. The company has already paid historical fines and you face a new one if you don’t make changes to Google Play, your app store. what has happened. They tell it in Reuters. The European Commission is not satisfied with the changes that Google has made to its app store to comply with the Digital Markets Act or DMA. Regulators consider that there are two points that do not comply with the standards: There are technical restrictions that make it difficult for developers to direct users to external channels with better prices. Google continues to charge a commission to the developer even if the user buys the app from its website, with the excuse that they have “facilitated” the purchase. Why is it important. If Google does not make the necessary changes to comply with the DMA, it faces a fine that could amount to 10% of its total revenue. In 2024 they will invoice 350,000 million dollarsso the maximum fine would amount to 35,000 million, the highest to date. Google can still offer to apply changes to avoid paying the fine. The Apple case. The one the Commission is satisfied with is Apple. In fact, they are using your case as an example of what needs to be done. It was not a bed of roses and Apple was fined 500 million euros for not complying with the DMA. Apple had to remove restrictions that prevented redirection to alternative offers. The Epic trial. The European Commission is not the only one that has Google Play in its sights. In the United States, the judge of the Epic vs Google case made a historic decision: Google would have to allow rival stores within the Play Store. Recently Google and Epic reached an agreement through which Google undertakes not to charge commissions of more than 20% on purchases’in-game’ and 9% for the rest. In addition, developers will be able to showcase other payment systems through Play Billing. The agreement must still be approved by the judge, but it seems that Google will have no options but to comply with what both the judge and the EU ask of it. What Google says. The company announced changes in Google Play last August to avoid the fine, is what the Commission now considers insufficient. Google competition lawyer Clare Kelly said the company was “concerned that these could expose Android users to harmful content.” This is the usual position of American companies that are under the scrutiny of the European Commission. Mark Zuckerberg called the DMA “censorship” and there has also been harsh criticism and tariff threats since the Trump administration. Recently, a national security strategy document He claimed that European laws could mean an “erasure of American civilization.” The fruits of the DMA. He overregulation of the European Union is subject to criticism, but It also has a good side. Thanks to the DMA has made USB-C mandatory for all manufacturers, forcing Apple to abandon its proprietary connector. It has also brought us the Universal AirDrop and the changes in the app stores so that we have more freedom when it comes to where to download our apps. Image | Xataka, Pexels In Xataka | Europe wants to protect itself against Huawei, but the energy sector knows something uncomfortable: it cannot move forward without it

how to organize the giveaway step by step in the app

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It’s almost Christmas, so we’re going to tell you how to make a invisible friend giveaway on WhatsApp in case you haven’t done so yet. Today, WhatsApp has enough tools to allow you to do everything, from organizing it to executing it. For this, we are going to start by telling you the previous organizational steps to have everything prepared. And then, to do the draw itself we will resort to Meta AIthe artificial intelligence integrated into WhatsApp itself. Thus, you will not need to use any external tool at any time. The only thing you should keep in mind if you do this is that Whoever organizes the draw will know all the resultsmeaning it will have to be an innocent hand that is not going to reveal them ahead of time. Step 1: Create a group and set the rules The first step is to create a group for participants on WhatsApp, although you can also do it in any other app. In this group you will not do the draw, but it will simply be to start organizing everything, and establish rules among everyone to set up the giveaway. One option is take surveys in the WhatsApp group to define the following characteristics: Budget: This is the most important part. For it to be a balanced invisible friend and everyone spends the same, a minimum and maximum spending margin must be agreed upon so that no one goes too far or falls too short. The normal amount is fifteen to twenty euros, but it depends on each group or family, so the optimal thing is to decide it with a survey. Deadlines: Another of the most important part, deciding the deadline to make the gifts. This way, everyone will be able to take the date into account, although it won’t hurt to remember it from time to time. Exceptions: If couples are going to participate in the invisible friend, it is important to decide if they can give each other gifts, and also establish any other type of exception that you see necessary. Other standards: Any other rules that you want to apply to the game are important to establish before carrying out the draw. Once you have them all, you can write a message with a summary of everything and pin it in the group, so that it always appears at the top and is easy to locate. Step 2: Create a chat with you for details Since we are telling you how to organize the entire giveaway through WhatsApp, then the next step is to use the app to take notes. For that, you can send a message to yourselfand so in these messages you can write down everything, such as the people who participate, who has already bought the gifts or to whom you sent the result of the draw. You can also write down the copy of the draw and the pairings, or the people who have not yet sent the gift and then edit and delete it as they do so. In short, write all the details related to the invisible friendto have it in a visible place within WhatsApp. Step 3: Run the draw Now, go to the main screen of WhatsApp and open Meta AI by clicking on its icon with the blue circle. It will appear in the same list of conversations you have. If you want, you can also do it with other artificial intelligences such as ChatGPT, Copilot either Gemini. The important thing here is to write a prompt specifying that you are going to do an invisible friend giveawayso that the AI ​​already knows what the procedure is. Once inside, you have to write the names of the participantsas well as any possible exceptions. You can use a prompt like this: I want to organize an invisible friend giveaway. These are the people who participate: Loki, Freya, Herminio, Faustina, Clemencio, Cayetana. Loki cannot touch Freya and Freya cannot touch Loki. Furthermore, Faustina and Clemencio cannot touch each other either. Taking these exceptions into account, organize the invisible friend raffle. As you have seen, in the prompt we have first put the names and then the exceptions, indicating who cannot give gifts to each other. This you have to personalize it with the data of your invisible friend and with everything you have organized and agreed upon together. You also have the option of using one of the pages and apps to do the invisible friend raffle like the ones we told you in this article. Here, in each of them there may be different systems, but you will always have to write the names and possible exceptions. Step 4: Send the results Once you have this, write to each person to tell who it is your turn to give. Don’t say this in the group To keep it a secret, simply write individual messages telling everyone who to give the gift to. Here, it is also recommended mention important details of the draw to remind the person. You can use the message to remember both the gift budget and the deadline. It is also important that you ask each person to reply to your message when they have the gift purchased. This way, you can write down who bought it in that message with yourself that we told you before, and you can insist on those who are taking too long to confirm the purchase. In Xataka Basics | The best prompts to save hours of work and do your tasks with ChatGPT, Gemini, Copilot or other artificial intelligence

India wanted to impose an indelible state app on all mobile phones. In a matter of days he had to take an unexpected turn

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The Government of India movement to force a security app to be installed On all mobile phones sold in the country it has lasted less than a week. On November 28, the Ministry of Telecommunications sent a private communication to the manufacturers in which it gave them 90 days to comply with the measure. However, the general rejection of public opinion, doubts about its impact on cybersecurity and the apparent opposition of some manufacturers have forced a change in plans. The order began to gain public relevance when its internal details became known. Reuters noted that The Government not only requested the mandatory presence of Sanchar Saathi in new mobile phones, but also its incorporation in those already in the supply chain through software updates. The agency also reported that the initial instruction specified that the application could not be disabled. What is Sanchar Saathi. The program’s own website define the tool as a public service aimed at empowering users against fraud and device theft. It is available as a mobile application and also as a web portal, from where it is possible to temporarily lock a lost phone, track subsequent use attempts and, if recovered, reactivate it. The Government frames these functions within a broader digital education effort, with end-user security materials and advisories. From security discourse to doubts about surveillance. The debate intensified when opposition figures and privacy specialists They questioned the initiative. In his opinion, an application managed by the State, coupled with such a broad mandate, required additional guarantees to rule out intrusive uses. Organizations such as the Internet Freedom Foundation They asked for transparency and access to the full legal text. Under pressure, Scindia publicly defended that “spying is not possible” with Sanchar Saathi and denied that the app can be used for surveillance. Opposition from manufacturers added pressure to the process. Reuters indicated that Apple had no intention to comply with the order as it was proposed and that it would convey its objections to the Government, while Samsung and other actors expressed similar reservations. According to sources cited by international media, the companies questioned whether the instruction had been issued without prior consultation and warned of its impact on the privacy policies of their ecosystems. The context was not minor: India has become one of the fastest growing markets for smartphones, especially for companies like Apple and other large manufacturers. An express reverse gear with success figures in hand. The rectification came on December 3, when the Ministry of Communications published a note announcing that mandatory pre-installation was no longer necessary. The decision was justified by the “growing acceptance” by Sanchar Saathi, which according to the Government now has 14 million users and allows around 2,000 frauds to be reported daily. Only the previous day, 600,000 new registrations had driven tenfold growth. Scindia then insisted that “spying is not possible”, despite the skepticism of specialized groups. In recent years, as reported by BloombergIndia has driven decisions that have forced big tech companies to readjust, such as demands for access to encrypted information or recent attempts to have manufacturers distribute the GOV.in public app suite. All of this occurs in a market that is strategic for Apple and Google, both in sales and production. The withdrawal of the mandate makes it clear that these dynamics continue to evolve and that balances will likely continue to be redefined. Images | Ministry of Communications of India | Piyanshu Sharma In Xataka | There are 500 million users who could perfectly upgrade to Windows 11. The problem is that they don’t want to

India will require pre-installing an indelible app on all mobile phones. And that poses a serious challenge for Apple

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In today’s technological debate, few issues generate as much attention as privacy. India has implemented a significant change: incorporate a state applicationthat will remain on iOS and Android phones without the possibility of deleting it. The measure coincides with a stage in which Apple emphasizes its security model more than ever. That crossroads, between the Indian regulatory commitment and the Cupertino company’s approach, may have a key point in this story. The movement began to take shape with an instruction from the Indian Department of Telecommunications sent privately to the main manufacturers. The document, dated November 28, establishes a period of 90 days for the application Sanchar Saathi appears on all new mobile phones and comes accompanied by another obligation: distribute it through updates to devices that are already in circulation. Telecommunications Minister Jyotiraditya M. Scindia He announced in an interview with CNBC-TV18 that the public order will be issued “in the coming days.” A tool against theft and fraud. According to information from the Indian Governmentthe application allows you to block and track lost or stolen mobile phones on all networks in the country, generate traceability if someone tries to activate them and verify the authenticity of the terminal using the IMEI number. It also offers a channel to report international calls that present themselves as national, a practice linked to fraud, among other functions. The Executive defends that these functions facilitate the response to theft and fraud in telecommunications. From utility to potential control. The rollout of Sanchar Saathi does not come alone. India is also pushing other guidelines that expand the ability to identify users, such as requiring that encrypted services like WhatsApp be associated with the SIM card’s IMSI (International Mobile Subscriber Identity). Combined with a pre-installed and non-uninstallable application, this environment transforms the mobile phone into a device with much greater traceability and represents a significant change in the relationship between citizens and telecommunications networks. For its part, the iPhone incorporates its own mechanisms designed to make access to data difficult and limit the value of a stolen device. The default encryption, together with the isolation of the Secure Enclavekeeps critical information safe, and the combination of Find My with v aims to prevent the reactivation of the terminal without the owner’s account. Apple complements this model with measures such as Advanced Data Protection, Face IDamong others. Between the Indian regulatory framework and its global strategy: India’s growing importance to Apple, both as a manufacturing hub and an expanding market, comes with a more interventionist regulatory environment. The China precedent shows that the company has had to adapt services and functions when local regulations required it, including the iCloud data transfer to infrastructures controlled by a state partner and the removal of VPN apps. The scenario presented by India confronts two different models of understanding digital security: one based on a mandatory integrated state application and another based on internal functions of the device that depend on the user’s control. Apple has not yet expressed how it will respond to this demand, but its growing industrial presence in India, a country where it manufactures more and more iPhones, it will possibly make any decision not go unnoticed. Images | Apple In Xataka | Apple had its ecosystem under lock and key. Chinese brands are blowing it up

an app to pay for parking

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Scams impersonating companies are the order of the day. Those that impersonate the Post Office or another courier company are the most common, but also the best known to the general public. Cybercriminals are still searching new ways to make us fall into their trap and now they have focused on a well-known parking management app: Telpark. what has happened. They tell it in The Newspaper. A new scam is circulating in which they use the image of the Telpark app. According to the Cybersecurity Agency of Cataloniathe scam is spreading email and pretends that our Telpark account is temporarily suspended due to a problem with a non-payment. Through a link to a website that imitates Telpark’s, it takes us to a payment gateway that is actually the scammers’ way of stealing our banking information. Once they have our data, they could charge us more on the card or sell it on the black market. Why is it important. We have been suffering from scams of this style for years and we are more aware, but scammers use new methods to continue adding victims. According to CIS data in 2024almost half of the Spanish population has been a victim of a scam or an attempt and at least 80% have received suspicious messages or emails requesting personal or financial information. According to the Feedzai and GASA reportin 2023 the sum of money stolen in Spain through scams amounted to 7,750 million euros. It may seem difficult for us to fall for a scam like this, but the reality is that it works for them. The micropayment trick. It is one of the most used in this type of scams. When the amount they ask for is small, they make us less suspicious and increase the chances that we will end up making the payment. . It is the case of the famous scam of the package detained at customs in which they ask us for an amount to be able to receive the product. There are other cases where they ask us for a higher amount, such as the scam of the alleged DGT fine. How to avoid falling for a scam. In the case of scams like Telpark, it is advisable to carefully check the email address from which we receive the message, that the message is well written and there are no inconsistencies, but above all never click on any link and much less give our personal or banking information. The most effective scams are the ones that are most personalized to the victim, which is why the son in trouble It has caused havoc in our country. With the arrival of AI tools that can clone voice These types of scams become much more dangerous and it is necessary to adopt new methods, such as have a “family password” that we can use to verify that we are really talking to our family member. Image | Telpark In Xataka | We should not trust any QR code we see out there. The Qrishing scam is growing at a dangerous rate

After years of searching, I have finally found the perfect Weather app for Android. And he just received superpowers

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If the question is how many weather apps do we have available on Android, the answer is “yes”. This is great because we have a lot to choose from, the problem is precisely that: there are so many that finding the one that is perfect for me seemed like a utopia. I finally found it and To my surprise, it’s from Google. Its problem, and because of how long it took me to discover it, is that it is a bit hidden. The weather app that Google doesn’t want you to use I’m not talking about the classic Google weather app that comes pre-installed on many Androids, but about the other Google weather app, one that It is only on the Google Pixel and what I discovered thanks to my colleagues from Xataka Android. The app is called ‘Pixel Weather’ or, in Spanish, ‘Pixel Weather’. It premiered with the Pixel 9 in 2024 and remains exclusive to Google mobile phones. That means that if you try to install it from the Play Storeit will tell you that “none of your devices are compatible.” But don’t despair, you can have it on any Android thanks to the installation via APK. However, remember that there are risks and download it only on reference portals like APKMirror. An exquisite and very functional design Pixel Weather has the design you would expect from a Pixel-only app. I really like the Material You interface because it is very clean and clear; Even in apps with many features like this one, it makes all the elements look super clear and conveys a feeling of simplicity. The interface is beautiful On the home screen we have the very large temperature and below it the different blocks with information such as the hourly forecast or the forecast up to 10 days. Below we have more information, all with a design reminiscent of a panel of widgets of different sizes. The good thing about Pixel Weather and why it has conquered me is because It is completely customizable. Do you prefer to have higher wind speeds? No problem, just hold down on the block you want to move and drag it to the new position. The only thing you won’t be able to move is the hourly forecast, which always remains fixed at the top, but everything else can be moved freely. We can move all the blocks as if we were arranging the home screen icons. Sliding down we have more widgets with different designs, such as the UV index one that is shaped like a sun or the humidity percentage widget that simulates being full of water. I also like it because at first glance it seems like a very simple app, but in reality it has much more information; By clicking on each of these widgets we obtain the hourly forecast about the specific data we are consulting, such as wind speed or relative humidity. The two widgets available talking about widgetsthe app offers us two to add to the home screen. The smallest one only has the temperature and an icon of the weather status, while the large one gives us the hourly forecast and more details such as the thermal sensation. I especially like the small widget for its oval design. Now with the best Google model That the app is very beautiful and functional is very good, but if the data it offers is not accurate, it is not of much use. This is not the case with Pixel Weather, in the time I have been using it it has been correct in its rain forecasts with quite a bit of accuracy regarding the time, but it has also been a few days ago. Google DeepMind announced that they have integrated WeatherNext 2his AI weather prediction model more advanced. According to DeepMind, WeatherNext 2 generates forecasts up to eight times faster than the previous model and its accuracy is better in 99.9% of variables. The innovation is that it uses an FGN or ‘functional generative network’ that injects noise into the model to achieve forecasts that are physically realistic. They have also integrated it into Google search, Gemini and will soon be in Maps. Images | Amparo Babiloni, Xataka In Xataka | The most beautiful, exciting and hopeful thing about November has come out of England and it is a weather forecast

finally an AI gadget that doesn’t make me wonder why it’s not just an app

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When in Xataka They offered me to try the Plaud Note Promy reaction was predictable: “another AI gadget that can be an app.” For a couple of years we have been seeing technological gadgets that promise to change our lives thanks to AI, sometimes with terrible resultand in general being solutions in search of a problem. But the Note Pro surprised me. Not because he does magic, but precisely because he doesn’t try to do it. This design only makes sense when you have it in your hand The product photos are very deceiving with this device. On the screen it looks like any other piece of junk, just another aluminum rectangle. When you take it out of the box, the reaction is to say “how cool is this.” It is literally the size of a credit card and just 3 millimeters thick.. We are not talking about “fine to be an engraver”, but fine, period. It’s ridiculously fine. Here, next to the AirPods Pro case to size it better. Image: Xataka. The first thing you do is try to fold it, because your brain doesn’t process that something so thin can have four microphones, 64 GB of storage and battery for 30 hours of continuous recording. The brushed aluminum finish is impeccable, with the kind of quality that makes you think of Apple. And I say this as criticism and as a compliment: They are clear about who they are copying, and they do it extraordinarily well. Well, that’s ridiculously fine. And well finished. Image: Xataka. The less than one-inch AMOLED screen is a detail that seems superfluous until you use it. It is not to watch videos, but to confirm at a glance that you are recording, how much battery you have left, and if you have marked any highlight. Nothing more, nothing less. It is design with purpose, not ornamentation. The screen has its purpose beyond being an indicator of the remaining battery. Image: Xataka. The uncomfortable question: why not just use an app? This is where it gets interesting. Because yes, you have options like Otter.ai or the native recorder on your mobile with automatic transcription. They are free, or almost. They already live in your pocket. Why on earth would you want to spend $179 on a separate thing, plus a subscription that ranges from $20 a month to $250 a year? The honest answer is that for most people, it doesn’t make sense. If you record one meeting a month, use your mobile. If you need to transcribe from time to time, Otter is more than enough for you. But if you live in meetings, briefingsinterviews, calls with clients, presentations… the equation begins to change. The Note Pro frees you from cell phone dependenceand that is more valuable than it seems a priori. When you record with your cell phone, that cell phone is busy. On many occasions you cannot consult documents, take notes in parallel or respond to an urgent message. And above all, you can’t let it run out of battery just when you need it most. The Note Pro is a single function deviceand that specialization is its strength. It charges via magnetic pogo-pin connector. Image: Xataka. 🔌 Image: Xataka. The recording quality also makes a difference. The four MEMS microphones pick up voices up to five meters away with remarkable clarity, and the AI ​​processing to separate speakers works surprisingly well. In tests in meeting rooms with six people, it correctly identified each voice without the need for anyone to speak in ordered turns. Otter.ai on my mobile usually works great, but tends to mix voices if two people are talking at similar volumes. But let’s be clear: the gap is not abysmal. Modern apps also work well. The advantage of the Note Pro is cumulative, not punctual: better battery, better audio capture, a device that you can leave on the table without worrying about interrupting notifications, without anxiety in case someone calls in the middle of recording. And also, if you have an iPhone with MagSafe, there is a wallet with which you can stick the Plaud to it and even be able to record calls. The Plaud Note Pro inside your MagSafe wallet. Image: Xataka. Also here. Image: Xataka. The button highlight: small detail, big difference There is a feature that sounds trivial on paper but that in use I have found to be extraordinarily useful: the highlight. During a recording, if someone says something important, you press briefly and the system marks that moment. Not only to locate the fragment later, but for the AI ​​to prioritize that information in the summaries. Bright. I’ve tried this on long presentations and the difference is brutal. Without highlightsthe summary gives you a medley where what is important can be diluted between ramblings. With highlights strategic, the summary goes directly to the decisions, commitments, critical points. It’s an elegant way to guide AI without having to write prompts after. Kudos to whoever had this idea. The AI ​​behind it: powerful but expensive Hardware is only half of the equation. The magic happens in the Plaud app, which processes the recordings using models from Google, OpenAI or Anthropic. You can choose which model to use for each transcriptionwhich is a level of control I wasn’t expecting. When starting a transcription we can choose between automatic and personalized transcription. If we choose the second, we can even choose the model to use. And it already includes the recently released Gemini 3 (although in beta). Image: Xataka. The different views of a transcript: summary, geolocation and recognition of who the key person is (if introduced at the beginning), key points, thematic index and complete transcript. Image: Xataka. The transcription is excellent. Comparatively better than Google Meet or Zoom in my experience, although that may depend on accent and environment. What is really interesting are the summary templates: you have everything from meeting minutes to Q&A format for interviews, to class notes or … Read more

It is the most important change to the app and it is already underway

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WhatsApp has begun to implement in Europe a function that marks a before and after in the use of its application: the possibility of other third-party messaging apps integrate with the platform. Users will be able to receive and send messages from WhatsApp to people who use other messaging apps, maintaining the end to end encryption. It is the first step towards something unthinkable until now: using WhatsApp without actually being inside WhatsApp. Regulation. This change is not really an altruistic decision that came from Meta, but rather an obligation imposed by the Digital Markets Law (DMA) of the European Union. According to explains WhatsApp on its official blog, “in light of changing laws in Europe, Meta now offers the option to chat with other people using third-party messaging applications.” The deployment is progressive and will arrive “over the next few months.” For now, the function will only land for users with phone numbers registered in the Member States of the European Union. How to activate and configure the function. Users who meet the requirements will soon receive a notification in WhatsApp settings inviting them to enable the function. The process is simple: you have to go to Settings > Account > Third Party Chats and activate the option. From there, you can select which external applications you want to enable and choose between two display modes: a combined inbox, where third-party messages are mixed with those from WhatsApp, or a separate inbox that keeps these chats isolated. WhatsApp assures that “you can update this setting at any time.” What is shared and what is not. When chats with third-party apps are activated and a conversation is started, the user’s phone number is shared with the person they choose to chat with. However, according to clarify WhatsApp, “your name and profile photo are not shared.” This means that to start a chat with someone using an external app, you need to know their user ID on that platform, which can be an email, phone number, or username, depending on the app. The first compatible apps and current limitations. BirdyChat vs Haiket They are the first two applications messaging services that have implemented this interoperability. WhatsApp promise that users will be able to “send messages, photos, videos, voice messages and documents to end users of supported third-party messaging services.” For now, the feature only allows one-on-one conversations; Future updates will include cross-platform group chats. In addition, certain native WhatsApp features such as stickers, statuses or disappearing messages will not be available in conversations with third parties. The encryption is maintained, but with nuances. WhatsApp assures that “messages or other content you send from WhatsApp to third-party users are encrypted during transit, and WhatsApp cannot see them.” The company also specifies that third-party messaging apps must use the same level of end-to-end encryption. However, Meta warns that “third-party apps have their own policies and may handle your data differently than WhatsApp.” The platform recommends reviewing the privacy policies of each external application before using it. Locks. There is one aspect that may be uncomfortable for some users. And people blocked on WhatsApp could continue to contact you through these third-party apps. According to explains WhatsApp in its FAQ, “anyone who has your phone number will be able to send you messages from third-party apps, including people you’ve blocked on WhatsApp.” If you receive an unwanted message in a third-party chat, you can block the sender specifically from that app, but WhatsApp blocking is not automatically extended. Limited availability and technical requirements. The function is limited at the moment in WhatsApp for iPhone and Android, so not yet WhatsApp Web, nor desktop, nor tablets. Furthermore, the company also remember that if a user changes their phone number to another registered in a region that is not covered by the DMA, they will lose access to third-party chats. In this sense, previous messages will remain in the chat list, but in read-only mode. Because it’s so important. It’s a big shift precisely because it has operated as a closed ecosystem for years. The possibility of interacting with users of other platforms without leaving WhatsApp, and vice versa, breaks a series of barriers which can end up being very attractive to many users. It is, in essence, the first step towards a scenario where the app you use to send messages could no longer be as relevant. Now all that remains is for Telegram to also implement this function. Cover image | Dimitri Karastelev In Xataka | It’s a matter of time before WhatsApp ends up filling your phone’s memory, unless you do these three things

the main gay dating apps disappear from the App Store

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China has a relentless censorship machinery. The one known as the ‘Great Firewall of China’ has been preventing its citizens from accessing certain services and websites for years. Its tentacles also reach the application stores, including Apple’s, which has just seen two apps disappear from its offering. And not just any two apps. What has happened? Blued and Finka are two dating apps aimed at the LGBTQ+ public and have just disappeared from the App Store in China, where they were the two most popular apps. According to Apple, the order came directly from the China Internet Network Information Center, also known as the Cyberspace Administration. This is Apple’s response to Wired: “We comply with the laws of the countries in which we operate. Pursuant to an order from the Cyberspace Administration of China, we have removed these two applications from the Chinese store” It’s not the first time. There have been other cases in which Apple has had to remove apps by order of the Chinese government, such as last year when removed WhatsApp, Telegram and others from his store “for reasons of national security.” The reasons they argued were the same: they have to comply with the laws of the countries in which they operate. They are not just any apps. The case of Blued and Finka is especially sensitive and it is not the first time that they have blocked applications used by the LGTBQ+ community. In 2022, the well-known app Grindr was also removed from the App Store in China. It happened during the Winter Olympic Games, although in this case it was the Grindr developer herself who removed the app at the request of the authorities. Homosexuality in China. Until 1997, being homosexual in China was a crime and until 2001 it was considered a mental disorder. Today it is not penalized, but the weather is anything but favorable for the community: same-sex marriage is not recognizednor can they adopt, conversion therapies remain legal and there are no laws against discrimination based on sexual orientation. Censorship. Homosexuality is considered prohibited content by regulators, who have edited numerous films to eliminate any reference to sexual diversity. The case of ‘Lightyear’ and the scene in which two women kiss It was one of the most popular, but it was not the only one. In September of this same year, They used AI to turn a gay couple into heterosexuals in the movie ‘Together’. Image | Wikipedia In Xataka | There is an underground movement of Chinese women reading homosexual erotic literature. And China is cracking down on it.

what it is, how to install it and what you can do with the messaging app on your watch

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Let’s tell you what it is and what functions it offers the version of WhatsApp for the Apple Watch. After years of waitingone of the best-selling smart watches on the market finally receives a version of the messaging app, but to what extent is it useful to use it from your wrist? We are going to start the article by telling you what the version of WhatsApp for the Apple Watch is, and we will also tell you how can you install it on the watch in case you don’t feel like it. Then, we will give you a list of the functions it offers. What is WhatsApp for Apple Watch WhatsApp for Apple Watch is exactly what the name suggests, a version for Apple watches from the Meta messaging app. This way, you can read the messages that come to you from your wrist, and also respond to them. This is a version adapted to the dimensions and interface of the Apple Watch, although It only has the basic functions to read and reply to messages. This way, if something important comes to you, you can respond immediately without even having to take out your cell phone. The app is basically for that, only to read and reply to messagesand other types of interactions are simply not available. It is also not compatible with all the types of file formats you can use, such as GIFs or stickers. Text and audio only. The WhatsApp application for the Apple Watch has dependence on the iPhone. This means you’ll need the iPhone your Apple Watch is paired to to be nearby and the watch to be paired to it. It won’t work if you leave your phone at home to exercise with just the watch, at the moment not even if it’s an Apple Watch with LTE. How to install the application To install WhatsApp on your Apple Watch, you only need have WhatsApp installed and updated on the iPhone. Once you have it, it should automatically appear in the list of applications on your watch. If it doesn’t appear, open the application watch on your mobile. On the main screen, go down to the bottom, and below the installed apps you will have a section Available Appswhich are those that you have on your mobile and have a compatible version for the Apple Watch that you have not installed. Here, simply click on the button Install beside WhatsApp. WhatsApp features for Apple Watch The WhatsApp app for the Apple Watch will allow you view text and voice messages that they send you in individual chats and groups. You will also be able to browse your list of chats, which, as in the app, will be ordered according to the pinned ones and those where you have received the latest messages. You will not be able to see the photos they send youand not GIFs either, although yes you will be able to see stickers. If they send you files, they will not appear either. With all this that you can’t see, what you will see is an indicator that the message format is not supported. You will also be able to respond to messages going to a keyboard screen or dictating what you want to say. Besides, you can also send voice messagessomething much more comfortable to do from the wrist than writing. Come on, you will be able to respond, and the fastest thing will be to send audios. In Xataka Basics | Send WhatsApp messages to yourself: How to do it and 11 uses for the function

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