Facebook today announced several updates for its Messenger platform, introducing Siri call integration, new AI features, support for HD video calls, and audio and video voice messages.
iPhone users can now ask Siri to make a call or send a message through the Messenger app. "Hey Siri, send a message to [person] on Messenger" will now work for hands-free calls. This is a feature that Apple has offered for some time, but Messenger did not support it until now.
Facebook is also adding audio and video voice messages, mirroring a FaceTime feature that Apple introduced with iOS 17. Messenger users can leave audio or voice messages when a Messenger call isn't picked up.
Messenger now supports HD video calls, background noise suppression, and voice isolation for clearer call quality when using Messenger. HD is enabled by default for calls made on Wi-Fi, and it can be added for cellular calls as well in the Messenger settings.
In the near future, Messenger will support AI backgrounds in Messenger video calls. Creating a personalized AI background can be done by tapping on the effects icon in the sidebar of a video call and choosing the "Backgrounds" option.
While the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are not expected to launch until September, there are already plenty of rumors about the devices.
Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models as of March 2025:
Aluminum frame: iPhone 17 Pro models are rumored to have an aluminum frame, whereas the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro models have a titanium frame, and the iPhone ...
Wednesday March 26, 2025 4:53 pm PDT by Juli Clover
Apple regularly refreshes the MacBook Pro models, and a new version that uses M5 series chips is in the works. Apple just finished refreshing most of the Mac lineup with M4 chips, and now it's time for the M5. Rumors suggest that we could see the first M5 MacBook Pro models this fall.
Design
There have been no rumors of a design update for the M5 MacBook Pro models that are coming this...
Wednesday March 26, 2025 12:19 pm PDT by Juli Clover
Apple is going all out with promotions for the popular Severance Apple TV+ show today, and as of right now, you'll find a new "Lumon Terminal Pro" listed on Apple's Mac site.
The Lumon Terminal Pro is designed to look similar to the machines that Severance employees like Mark S. and Helly R. use for macrodata refinement. The Terminal features a blue keyboard, a small display with wide...
Thursday March 27, 2025 1:59 pm PDT by Joe Rossignol
In the mid-to-late 2000s, Facebook was all about staying connected with friends and family. However, as the social media platform added new features and grew over time, that core experience began to get drowned out.
That changes starting now, according to Meta, which today introduced a new feature that will "bring back the joy" of classic Facebook.
Specifically, Meta has redesigned the...
Apple is expected to release iOS 18.4 to the general public as soon as next week, following more than a month of beta testing.
Apple's website says some iOS 18.4 features will be released in "early April," so the update should be out as early as Tuesday, April 1.
Apple this week seeded the iOS 18.4 Release Candidate, which is typically the final beta version, barring the discovery of any...
Wednesday March 26, 2025 4:06 am PDT by Tim Hardwick
Update 7:25 pm: Based on comments from our forums, it appears the original Weibo post may have been mistranslated and "8K" actually refers to the high price of the device rather than 8K video recording capabilities. The iPhone 16 Pro currently starts at 7,999 yuan in China.
Our original article follows below.
Apple's forthcoming iPhone 17 Pro models are capable of shooting 8K video, up...
Thursday March 27, 2025 4:21 am PDT by Tim Hardwick
Last week, we covered a report claiming that Apple's book-style foldable iPhone (or "iPhone Fold," as we are provisionally calling it here) will use liquid metal hinges to improve durability and help minimize screen creasing. Today, a Chinese leaker provided more details on the properties of this hinge material that help to clarify why Apple chose it for its first foldable device.
According...
Thursday March 27, 2025 7:45 am PDT by Joe Rossignol
The upcoming iOS 18.4 update for the iPhone adds an Ambient Music feature to Control Center. Below, we take a closer look at how it works.
iOS 18.4 is currently in beta, so the Ambient Music feature is not widely available yet. The update will likely be released to the general public next week.
To use the feature on iOS 18.4, open Control Center and tap on the plus sign in the top-left...
The iOS 19 mockup images that leaker Jon Prosser shared today are not representative of the actual iOS 19 design, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said on social media.
According to Gurman, the images that are "floating around" are based on "very old builds" or "vague descriptions," and are lacking key features. Gurman says that we can "expect more from Apple in June."
Gurman made the same comment ...
Recently, Facebook has been offering up friend suggestions of people that I have only ever texted outside of Messenger. How in the world did Facebook make that connection if it's not somehow monitoring my phone activity?
Most likely, these people allowed the Facebook app to access their contacts, which happened to have your info. I'm guessing Facebook also knows your number (for security/2FA purposes), so they put the two and two together that way.
That's exactly what happened when I signed up for Venmo a while back. They require your phone number, and the app asked if it could access my contacts so it could suggest friends who are already on Venmo. I declined it, yet it still showed a bunch of people I know...some I haven't even talked to in 10+ years.
So while you may be the best person on the planet about protecting your privacy, it's all the other people who have you as contact that screw it up by giving apps access to their contacts.
No, he's literally using WhatsApp and giving his entire contact list away to Meta who also owns Messenger. It's pretty straightforward.
Ah, I missed that part. Thought they were using Messenger and regular texting. My point is still valid though. Companies can also get information about you through other people who have you as a contact.
