The New York attorney general has written to the videoconferencing company about its security measures.
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Tuesday, March 31, 2020
Coronavirus: Racist 'zoombombing' at virtual synagogue
Hackers hijacking Zoom meetings to shout abuse is on the rise as more people talk virtually.
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Apple buys weather app Dark Sky
The iPhone maker will shut down the Android and Wear OS versions of the app in July.
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What does a pandemic say about the tech we’ve built?
There’s a joke* being reshared on chat apps that takes the form of a multiple choice question — asking who’s the leading force in workplace digital transformation? The red-lined punchline is not the CEO or CTO but: C) COVID-19.
There’s likely more than a grain of truth underpinning the quip. The novel coronavirus is pushing a lot of metaphorical buttons right now. ‘Pause’ buttons for people and industries, as large swathes of the world’s population face quarantine conditions that can resemble house arrest. The majority of offline social and economic activities are suddenly off limits.
Such major pauses in our modern lifestyle may even turn into a full reset, over time. The world as it was, where mobility of people has been all but taken for granted — regardless of the environmental costs of so much commuting and indulged wanderlust — may never return to ‘business as usual’.
If global leadership rises to the occasional then the coronavirus crisis offers an opportunity to rethink how we structure our societies and economies — to make a shift towards lower carbon alternatives. After all, how many physical meetings do you really need when digital connectivity is accessible and reliable? As millions more office workers log onto the day job from home that number suddenly seems vanishingly small.
COVID-19 is clearly strengthening the case for broadband to be a utility — as so much more activity is pushed online. Even social media seems to have a genuine community purpose during a moment of national crisis when many people can only connect remotely, even with their nearest neighbours.
Hence the reports of people stuck at home flocking back to Facebook to sound off in the digital town square. Now the actual high street is off limits the vintage social network is experiencing a late second wind.
Facebook understands this sort of higher societal purpose already, of course. Which is why it’s been so proactive about building features that nudge users to ‘mark yourself safe’ during extraordinary events like natural disasters, major accidents and terrorist attacks. (Or indeed why it encouraged politicians to get into bed with its data platform in the first place — no matter the cost to democracy.)
In less fraught times, Facebook’s ‘purpose’ can be loosely summed to ‘killing time’. But with ever more sinkholes being drilled by the attention economy that’s a function under ferocious and sustained attack.
Over the years the tech giant has responded by engineering ways to rise back to the top of the social heap — including spying on and buying up competition, or directly cloning rival products. It’s been pulling off this trick, by hook or by crook, for over a decade. Albeit, this time Facebook can’t take any credit for the traffic uptick; A pandemic is nature’s dark pattern design.
What’s most interesting about this virally disrupted moment is how much of the digital technology that’s been built out online over the past two decades could very well have been designed for living through just such a dystopia.
Seen through this lens, VR should be having a major moment. A face computer that swaps out the stuff your eyes can actually see with a choose-your-own-digital-adventure of virtual worlds to explore, all from the comfort of your living room? What problem are you fixing VR? Well, the conceptual limits of human lockdown in the face of a pandemic quarantine right now, actually…
Virtual reality has never been a compelling proposition vs the rich and textured opportunity of real life, except within very narrow and niche bounds. Yet all of a sudden here we all are — with our horizons drastically narrowed and real-life news that’s ceaselessly harrowing. So it might yet end up wry punchline to another multiple choice joke: ‘My next vacation will be: A) Staycation, B) The spare room, C) VR escapism.’
It’s videoconferencing that’s actually having the big moment, though. Turns out even a pandemic can’t make VR go viral. Instead, long lapsed friendships are being rekindled over Zoom group chats or Google Hangouts. And Houseparty — a video chat app — has seen surging downloads as barflies seek out alternative night life with their usual watering-holes shuttered.
Bored celebs are TikToking. Impromptu concerts are being livestreamed from living rooms via Instagram and Facebook Live. All sorts of folks are managing social distancing and the stress of being stuck at home alone (or with family) by distant socializing — signing up to remote book clubs and discos; joining virtual dance parties and exercise sessions from bedrooms. Taking a few classes together. The quiet pub night with friends has morphed seamlessly into a bring-your-own-bottle group video chat.
This is not normal — but nor is it surprising. We’re living in the most extraordinary time. And it seems a very human response to mass disruption and physical separation (not to mention the trauma of an ongoing public health emergency that’s killing thousands of people a day) to reach for even a moving pixel of human comfort. Contactless human contact is better than none at all.
Yet the fact all these tools are already out there, ready and waiting for us to log on and start streaming, should send a dehumanizing chill down society’s backbone.
It underlines quite how much consumer technology is being designed to reprogram how we connect with each other, individually and in groups, in order that uninvited third parties can cut a profit.
Back in the pre-COVID-19 era, a key concern being attached to social media was its ability to hook users and encourage passive feed consumption — replacing genuine human contact with voyeuristic screening of friends’ lives. Studies have linked the tech to loneliness and depression. Now we’re literally unable to go out and meet friends the loss of human contact is real and stark. So being popular online in a pandemic really isn’t any kind of success metric.
Houseparty, for example, self-describes as a “face to face social network” — yet it’s quite the literal opposite; you’re foregoing face-to-face contact if you’re getting virtually together in app-wrapped form.
While the implication of Facebook’s COVID-19 traffic bump is that the company’s business model thrives on societal disruption and mainstream misery. Which, frankly, we knew already. Data-driven adtech is another way of saying it’s been engineered to spray you with ad-flavored dissatisfaction by spying on what you get up to. The coronavirus just hammers the point home.
The fact we have so many high-tech tools on tap for forging digital connections might feel like amazing serendipity in this crisis — a freemium bonanza for coping with terrible global trauma. But such bounty points to a horrible flip side: It’s the attention economy that’s infectious and insidious. Before ‘normal life’ plunged off a cliff all this sticky tech was labelled ‘everyday use’; not ‘break out in a global emergency’.
It’s never been clearer how these attention-hogging apps and services are designed to disrupt and monetize us; to embed themselves in our friendships and relationships in a way that’s subtly dehumanizing; re-routing emotion and connections; nudging us to swap in-person socializing for virtualized fuzz that designed to be data-mined and monetized by the same middlemen who’ve inserted themselves unasked into our private and social lives.
Captured and recompiled in this way, human connection is reduced to a series of dilute and/or meaningless transactions. The platforms deploying armies of engineers to knob-twiddle and pull strings to maximize ad opportunities, no matter the personal cost.
It’s also no accident we’re also seeing more of the vast and intrusive underpinnings of surveillance capitalism emerge, as the COVID-19 emergency rolls back some of the obfuscation that’s used to shield these business models from mainstream view in more normal times. The trackers are rushing to seize and colonize an opportunistic purpose.
Tech and ad giants are falling over themselves to get involved with offering data or apps for COVID-19 tracking. They’re already in the mass surveillance business so there’s likely never felt like a better moment than the present pandemic for the big data lobby to press the lie that individuals don’t care about privacy, as governments cry out for tools and resources to help save lives.
First the people-tracking platforms dressed up attacks on human agency as ‘relevant ads’. Now the data industrial complex is spinning police-state levels of mass surveillance as pandemic-busting corporate social responsibility. How quick the wheel turns.
But platforms should be careful what they wish for. Populations that find themselves under house arrest with their phones playing snitch might be just as quick to round on high tech gaolers as they’ve been to sign up for a friendly video chat in these strange and unprecedented times.
Oh and Zoom (and others) — more people might actually read your ‘privacy policy‘ now they’ve got so much time to mess about online. And that really is a risk.
*Source is a private Twitter account called @MBA_ish
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Coronavirus: 3D-printer owners rally to create NHS face masks
More than 1,000 people volunteer to help make face shields for front-line workers.
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No proof of a Houseparty breach, but its privacy policy is still gatecrashing your data
Houseparty has been a smashing success with people staying home during the coronavirus pandemic who still want to connect with friends.
The group video chat app, interspersed with games and other bells and whistles, raises it above the more mundane Zooms and Hangouts (fun only in their names, otherwise pretty serious tools used by companies, schools and others who just need to work) when it comes to creating engaged leisure time, amid a climate where all of them are seeing a huge surge in growth.
All that looked like it could possibly fall apart for Houseparty and its new owner Epic Games when a series of reports appeared Monday claiming Houseparty was breached, and that malicious hackers were using users’ data to access their accounts on other apps such as Spotify and Netflix.
Houseparty was swift to deny the reports and even go so far as to claim — without evidence — it was investigating indications that the “breach” was a “paid commercial smear to harm Houseparty,” offering a $1 million reward to whoever could prove its theory.
For now, there is no proof that there was a breach, nor proof that there was a paid smear campaign, and when we reached out to ask Houseparty and Epic about this investigation, a spokesperson said: “We don’t have anything to add here at the moment.”
But that doesn’t mean that Houseparty doesn’t have privacy issues.
As the old saying goes, “if the product is free, you are the product.” In the case of the free app Houseparty, the publishers detail a 12,000+ word privacy policy that covers any and all uses of data that it might collect by way of you logging on to or using its service, laying out the many ways that it might use data for promotional or commercial purposes.
There are some clear lines in the policy about what it won’t use. For example, while phone numbers might get shared for tech support, with partnerships that you opt into, to link up contacts to talk with and to authenticate you, “we will never share your phone number or the phone numbers of third parties in your contacts with anyone else.”
But beyond that, there are provisions in there that could see Houseparty selling anonymized and other data, leading Ray Walsh of research firm ProPrivacy to describe it as a “privacy nightmare.”
“Anybody who decides to use the Houseparty application to stay in contact during quarantine needs to be aware that the app collects a worrying amount of personal information,” he said. “This includes geolocation data, which could, in theory, be used to map the location of each user. A closer look at Houseparty’s privacy policy reveals that the firm promises to anonymize and aggregate data before it is shared with the third-party affiliates and partners it works with. However, time and time again, researchers have proven that previously anonymized data can be re-identified.”
There are ways around this for the proactive. Walsh notes that users can go into the settings to select “private mode” to “lock” rooms they use to stop people from joining unannounced or uninvited; switch locations off; use fake names and birthdates; disconnect all other social apps; and launch the app on iOS with a long press to “sneak into the house” without notifying all your contacts.
But with a consumer app, it’s a longshot to assume that most people, and the younger users who are especially interested in Houseparty, will go through all of these extra steps to secure their information.
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Facebook launches a global version of its Community Help feature in response to the COVID-19 pandemic
Facebook first launched its Community Help feature in 2017, to give users a way to offer assistance, search for and receive help in the wake of a crisis. The feature has since been used to connect Facebook users after man-made, accidental, and natural disasters, like terrorist attacks or weather events, for example. Today, Facebook is expanding Community Help as part of its COVID-19 efforts. The new COVID-19 Community Help hub will allow people to request or offer help to those impacted by the coronavirus outbreak as well as donate to nonprofit fundraisers.
This is the first time Facebook has launched Community Help on a global scale. It’s also the first time it’s been used for a health pandemic.
The feature will launch first in the U.S., Canada, France, U.K. and Australia, Facebook says.
A somewhat similar feature, Help Map, was recently introduced by the neighborhood social network and Facebook competitor Nextdoor, but it hasn’t yet seen widespread adoption. In part, that’s because Nextdoor isn’t making the new addition as obvious as it could be — it’s currently buried in the “More” tab instead of being a central focus in the app. Also, the Help Map simply allows people to list themselves as being able to offer assistance to someone in need or as being in need of aid.
Facebook’s Community Help hub, meanwhile, builds on Facebook’s earlier efforts with Crisis Response, which connected multiple tools in one place.
The COVID-19 Community Help feature will be found within Facebook’s existing COVID-19 Information Center, which is live in over 30 countries.
Launched earlier in March, the COVID-19 Information Center today sits at the top of the News Feed and connects users to authoritative health information from global health authorities along with curated posts from politicians, journalists, and other public figures.
Since its debut, over 1 billion users have accessed the information shared by health authorities on the Information Center and through the educational pop-ups on Facebook and Instagram, the company claims. More than 100 million people clicked through to learn more from the sources directly.
Before today’s official launch, the COVID-19 Information Center tested Community Help in select U.S. cities. There, local users have been posting requests for help — like those about a hospital in need of masks or volunteers to help distribute food. Others shared their free assistance being offered — like free meals for hourly workers now out of a job or free virtual workouts for those missing their gym routine.
This now continues as the Community Hub launches across the supported markets. However, it will now exist as its own destination, which includes fundraisers. It will also include additional categories, like Food, Baby Supplies, Toiletries, and Business Support — the latter which allows local businesses to ask for help and respond to offers for help.
Facebook also clarifies that users will be able to post or comment in reply to posts about offering assistance, as either an individual user or as a Facebook Page. And both individuals and Facebook Pages will be able to share posts to let others know what they need.
In addition, the COVID-19 Community Help hub will fundraise through two COVID-response efforts: the UNF/WHO COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund Facebook Fundraiser and the Combat Coronavirus with the CDC Foundation Facebook Fundraiser (U.S.-only), where Facebook is matching donations, up to $10 million to each fundraiser. While not available today, Facebook will soon allow people to seek out and donate to local fundraisers, it says.
Facebook says the COVID-10 Community Hub will arrive in more countries around the world in the next few weeks, starting first with higher-risk countries across Europe and Asia-Pacific.
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Houseparty: How safe is Epic Games' video chat app?
Security experts back owner's assertion that chat app is not hacking other products.
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Coronavirus: 5G ‘certainly delayed’ in Europe and UK
UK and European 5G network rollouts will certainly be delayed during the pandemic, Huawei says.
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10 Portable Bluetooth Speakers In 2020
THigh-quality Bluetooth speakers will allow you to enjoy your favorite music at any time. If you are an active traveller, then these portable wireless speakers are ideal for you. You are enjoying your music whenever you are even by the pool or enjoying a weekend camping trip.
10 Portable Bluetooth Speakers In 2020
After the comprehensive research of 72 hours, our team of technical professionals shortlisted these top 10 portable Bluetooth speakers based on the sound quality & user reviews. All the below features portable Bluetooth speakers are feature-rich, has extended Bluetooth range, long-lasting battery life.
1. boAt Stone 170 Portable Bluetooth Speakers
boAt Stone 170 Portable Bluetooth speakers offer you up to 6 hours of playback thanks to its powerful 1800mAh Lithium Battery. You can directly connect these Bluetooth speakers with your smartphone or laptop with the help of its inbuilt Bluetooth v4.2.
Not just with the laptop, you can use it solo, you can insert SD card in it with your favorite songs. This boAt Stone 170 speaker is entirely water-resistant; you can easily carry it on your trip thanks to its compact design. You will get a memorable listening experience on the power output of 5W’s, get the party started anywhere, anytime.
2. boAt Stone 200 Portable Bluetooth Speakers
boAt Stone 200 portable Bluetooth speakers are perfect for the outdoor lifestyle and active travellers; you will get 6 hours of extended battery like with its 1500mAh battery, you can charge it with the Micro USB cable which is included in the box.
For heavy-duty, this speaker is constructed from a durable rubber matte finish that makes it shockproof. It’s entirely dust and waterproof. You can take it with you anywhere, while swimming, camping, hiking. The range of boAt Stone 200 speakers is 11 M, offers you well-balanced crystal clear sound quality and robust bass, the frequency response is about 180Hz-20KHz.
3. Infinity (JBL) Fuze Pint Deep Bass
This Fuze Pint Deep Bass Dual EQ speaker is a perfect choice for the active traveller, thanks to its pocket size, you can carry it with you on your trip. It also has features of wireless Bluetooth streaming, has dual equalizer modes for standard & deep bass output, in one-time charging, you can enjoy your favourite music up to 5 hours under optimum audio settings.
It comes with integrated voice assistant integration & you can also use it for speakerphone. Like all the standard devices, this Fuze Pint Deep Bass Dual EQ speaker comes with one year of warranty.
4. JBL GO Portable Wireless Bluetooth Speaker
JBL GO, portable wireless Bluetooth speaker offers you crystal clear, JBL signature sound quality that you have never experienced before, you can connect it with any smart device with the help of in build Bluetooth, the frequency response of the speaker is 180Hz – 20kHz.
Talking about the playtime, this JBL speaker offers you 5 hours of playtime under optimum audio settings; it also supports Google Assistant & Siri; you have to long-press the play button to activate. This JBL GO speaker equipped with noise-canceling speakerphone & comes with one year of manufacture warranty.
5. boAt Stone 1000 Bluetooth Speaker with Monstrous Sound
boAt Stone 1000 speakers are the perfect choice for the outdoor lifestyle & active lifestyle; these speakers are entirely IPX5 waterproof and shockproof. boAt Stone 1000 offers you incredibly outstanding sound quality; its 14-watt dual speakers produce louder bass.
The range of the speakers is about 11 meters, comes with a 3000mAh rechargeable battery that offers you 8 hours of extended playback and 20 hours of taking the time. It takes 4 hours to charge this 3000mAh rechargeable battery fully. For heavy-duty, its constructed of durable silicon, rubber matte finish that makes is ultimately shock resistant.
6. Philips BT50W/00 Portable Wireless Bluetooth Speaker
Philips BT50W/00 portable wireless Bluetooth speaker comes with anti clipping function that offers you loud, distortion-free music, advanced audio performance with a compact design.
You can connect it any almost any Bluetooth device thanks to audio-in for a secure connection. In one time charging, you can enjoy your favourite music up to 5-6 hrs when the volume level is at a moderate level.
This speaker has a 4.9-star rating on Amazon & all the leading shopping websites across the globe from hundreds of happy customers. Available in 4 different colors.
7. JBL Flip 3 Stealth Waterproof Portable Bluetooth Speaker
JBL Flip 3 Stealth waterproof portable Bluetooth speaker offers you JBL signature sound & features of BlueTooth streaming. This JBL audio device is always famous because of its outstanding sound quality; this speaker comes with dual external passive bass radiators.
It is entirely crafted from IPX7 Waterproof with durable fabric material & offers you 10 hours of long playtime under optimum audio settings. JBL also offers you one year of manufacture warranty, in terms of any problem, you can visit their service center. This speaker does not have any mic; that’s the only disadvantage of using it. If you are an active traveler, this will be the best option for you.
Must Read: How To Remove Audio From Video?
8. Mi Compact Bluetooth Speaker 2
This Mi Compact Bluetooth speaker is one of the best wireless portable speakers from active travelers, in one-time charging, it offers you 6 hours of playback time at 80% volume. The audio frequency range is about 200 Hz to 18kHz. Mi Compact Bluetooth speaker effectively works at a distance is up to 10m, It has clear and natural sound and parametric mesh design.
The speakers feature very easy to carry, easy to store design with a hand strap; the device is highly portable and easy to carry one-handed or in a bag. It comes with an integrated microphone for phone calls; now you can quickly answer phone calls, now there is no need to switch devices while answering calls.
9. Zebronics Zeb-County Bluetooth Speaker
This is one of the most prefered portable wireless speakers by the active travellers; it comes with call function along with built-in FM radio too. It features very compactly and handly design, you can connect it with all smart devices with wireless BT/USB/micro SD and AUX.
Zebronics Zeb-County BlueTooth speaker works at 4Ω impedance & frequency response of 120hz-15khz. In one time charging, you can enjoy up 10 hours of playback, but it takes 4 hours of fully charge it.
In terms of any problem, the brand also offers you one year of manufacture warranty from the date of purchase; this Bluetooth speaker has five start rating on Amazon and hundreds of shopping website from consumer across the globe.
10. Philips BT60BK Bluetooth Wireless Portable Speaker
This Philips BT60BK Bluetooth wireless portable speaker is straightforward to carry thanks to its finely knitted strip; you can take it anywhere conveniently. You can also pick up and answer the calls without changing audio output with its built-in microphone that allows you easily switch from music listening to taking phone calls.
This speakers work with audio-in for easy connection to almost any electronic device. Philips BT60BK works on Bluetooth version: 5.0, the frequency is about 2.4 GHz to 2.48 GHz. The speakers also feature all necessary buttons on it for easy controls.
You can purchase any of the above featured portable Bluetooth speakers from any leading shopping website and offline stores also; we have also placed the best buy link over there. We hope this article on top 10 portable Bluetooth speakers is helpful for you, If you are satisfied with the information we have provided, do share it on social media, Stay connected with for all the latest updates and tech news.
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Coronavirus: UK considers virus-tracing app to ease lockdown
Study describes how app would alert citizens if someone they came into contact with tests positive.
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Coronavirus: World leaders' posts deleted over fake news
Social networks usually leave world leaders’ posts alone - but the pandemic is changing that.
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Snapchat preempts clones, syndicates Stories to other apps
If you can’t stop them, power them. That’s the strategy behind Snapchat App Stories, which launches today to let users show off their ephemeral content in other apps too. The first partners will let you post Stories to your dating profile in Hily, share them alongside [music] videos in Triller, watch them while screensharing in Squad, or give people a peek at your life in augmented reality network Octi. Developers can now sign up to add Stories to their apps.
Snapchat’s Stories format has been widely cloned, most famously by Instagram and Facebook, but with versions in various states of development for YouTube, Twitter, LinkedIn, SoundCloud, and more. Snapchat hopes to retain some grip on Stories and dissuade more copycats by letting developers bake the original version into their apps rather than building a bootleg attempt from scratch.
If you need Snapchat to share Stories to popular apps, that could boost content production plus subsequent viewership and ad impressions inside of Snapchat, remind people to shoot Stories, and make sure having a Snapchat account stays relevant. “We definitely think there’s a potential for monetization in App Stories but not yet” Snap’s VP of partnerships Ben Schwerin tells me. For now, Snapchat isn’t injecting ads into alongside Stories into other apps, though that’s clearly the plan.
“There are certain platforms out there that have decided they want to invest in building their own Stories product and their own camera, but it’s not a trivial thing to do. It takes resources and time. We think we can help developers do that” Schwerin explains. “Getting more people out there, regardless of age or where they live, comfortable using Stories probably makes them more likely to be able to pick up and enjoy Snapchat.”
Snapchat initially announced the plan for App Stories at its Partner Summit exactly a year ago. Unfortunately, its second annual developer conference that was set for this week was cancelled due to coronavirus.
Though advertising spend may be reduced, at least the app has experienced an increase in usage while everyone shelters in place. That includes third-party apps built on its Snap Kit platform that lets developers piggyback on Snapchat’s login, Bitmoji, and camera effects.
“We continue to see incredible growth from established apps like Reddit and Spotify and TikTok, and from startups that are really building from the ground up on Snap Kit like Yolo” Schwerin reveals. “People are spending more time at home and less time with friends. We’re seeing increased usage of Snapchat.”
Snap Kit has allowed Snapchat to rally would-be copycats into a legion of allies as it fights to stave off the Facebook empire. That strategy combined with a high-performance rebuild of its Android app for the developing world led Snapchat’s share price to grow from $11.36 a year ago to a recent high of $18.98 before coronavirus dragged it almost all the way back down.
Now, when people shoot a photo or video in the Snapchat camera, they’ll get options to share it not just to their Story or Snap Map and the crowdsourced community Stories, but also to their Story within other apps integrated with Snap Kit. Users will see options to syndicate their Story to products equipped with App Stories where they’re already logged in.
Unlike on Snapchat where Stories disappear after 24 hours, they default to a 7-day expiration in other App Stories. That relieves users of having to constantly post ephemeral Snaps to keep their dating or social app profiles stocked with biographical content.
In Hily, Snapchat Stories partially replaces the homegrown version it’d spun up in the meantime to show potential dates off-the-cuff looks at people’s lives. In Triller, users can tap on a content creator’s profile pic to see biographical Stories instead of just their polished music videos. In Squad, users can co-watch Stories along with other things to screenshare. And in Octi, users can see someone’s Snapchat Story amongst other hidden content revealed by its augmented reality camera.
One app missing is Tinder, which Snapchat originally previewed as its launch partner at the App Stories reveal last year. Tinder is using Snapchat’s Bitmoji stickers, but may have gotten cold feet about Stories. The fact that Snap is only now launching App Stories, and still hasn’t officially launched Ad Kit that lets it inject its ads into other apps and split revenue with developers, shows it’s taking time to adjust to its platform strategy after years of shunning outside integrations. It still won’t reveal the revenue percentage split it’s applying to Ad Kit.
For Snapchat to gain momentum it needs two things: a constant influx of new users, eager to use its augmented reality camera and Bitmoji wherever they’re available, and more impressions to monetize with ads after Instagram stole the Stories use case for untold millions of older users. App Stories could help with both.
“The proliferation of stories as the primary way to share video content on mobile we think is a good thing” Schwerin concludes. But Snap has sat by idly as it’s served as the R&D lab for Facebook’s product. Now Snapchat needs to own the viewership and the ad dollars that Stories generate everywhere other than Facebook. Just coining the concept doesn’t bring in cash.
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How To Fix ‘Failed To Obtain IP Address’ Error On Android
Well, if we talk about the list of the best mobile operating system, without any doubt, it will be Android dominating the list. Compared to every other mobile operating system, Android provides users far more customization options. Despite all its features, Android is still not free from bugs.
Recently, lots of Android users have reported an unusual error message ‘Failed to obtain IP Address or Obtaining IP Address’. Android users are getting this error message while trying to connect to a network.
Lots of Android users have claimed that they have downloaded certain apps that claim to ‘Fix’ the error. However, we don’t recommend you to download such apps because there’s no need for any third-party app to fix this error message.
So, if you are also getting the ‘Failed to obtain IP Address’ error message, then you need to follow some of the methods given below to fix the problem. However, before trying the fix, let’s know why the ‘Failed to obtain IP Address’ error occurs.
Why the ‘Failed to obtain IP Address’ error occurs?
Well, the ‘Failed to obtain IP Address’ error message appears while accessing the WiFi network. This error message means that the router can’t assign an IP Address to your device. So, as long as your router fails to assign an IP Address to the device, you can’t access the internet through the WiFi network.
Now that you know the most probable reason behind the error, its time to know the methods to fix the error. There are lots of things that you can do to fix the ‘Failed to obtain IP Address’ error message. Below, we have shared some of the best methods to fix IP Address error on Android.
How To Fix ‘Failed to obtain IP Address’ Error?
Below, we are going to share four best methods to fix the failed to obtain an IP Address error message from your Android. So, let’s know how to fix ‘Failed to obtain IP address’ on Android.
1. Restart Google Play Services
Well, Google Play Services is a necessary process, and it ties into countless features and functions on your Android device. So, it’s one of the first things to look at when things go wrong. So, in this method, we need to restart the Google Play Services to fix ‘Failed to obtain IP Address’ error message from Android.
- First of all, open Settings.
- Now head to the Apps & Notifications
- In the next step, find Google Play Services and tap on it.
- Tap on ‘Force Stop’ and then on ‘Clear Cache’
- Now open the Google Play Services again and connect to the WiFi.
If this method fails to fix the IP Address error message from Android, then follow the next method.
2. Forget Network
Well, if you are getting the ‘Failed to obtain IP Address’ while connecting to a specific WiFi network, then you need to follow some of the simple steps given below.
- Open Settings and tap on the ‘Network & Internet’
- Now tap on ‘WiFi’ and long press on the WiFi network.
- Now select ‘Forget Network’ from the drop-down list.
- Once done, scan for the WiFi again and connect with it.
This will most probably fix the ‘Failed to obtain IP Address’ error message from Android. If you are still unable to connect with the WiFi, follow the next method.
3. Assign a static IP Address
Since the error message usually occurs when router fails to assign IP Address to the device, you can choose to assign a static IP Address. Follow some of the simple steps given below to assign a static IP address.
- Open Settings and head to the Network > WiFi.
- Long press on the WiFi network and select ‘Modify network’
- Now tap on ‘Show advanced options’.
- On the IP settings, select ‘Static’
- Now in the IP Address, change the last three number to any number between one to 225
That’s it, you are done! Now try to connect with the WiFi network. If everything went right, then you will be able to connect with the WiFi network.
4. Restart the Router
Well, router problems often lead to ‘Failed to obtain IP address’ errors on Android. So, before following any other method, make sure to restart your router. Most routers have a reset button. If your router doesn’t have a reset button, then you need to disconnect it and plug it back in.
5. Rename your Android device
Lots of Android users have reported that they have fixed the Failed to obtain IP address error on their device by renaming their Android device. We are not sure why this would help, but you can try your luck here. Renaming the Android device is easy, just follow some of the simple steps given below.
- First of all, open Settings > About Phone
- Tap on the ‘Device Name’
- You need to change the device name and select ‘Save’
- Once done, restart your Android and connect to the router.
6. Factory Data Reset
Well, if everything else fails, then the final remaining option is to factory data reset. However, this will delete everything stored on your internal storage and will back to its factory state. So, make sure to create a proper backup before you choose to factory reset your smartphone. Follow, some of the simple steps given below to factory data reset your Android.
- Head to the Settings > System > Advanced Options.
- Now find the option ‘Reset’
- In the next step, tap on ‘Erase all data’ or ‘Factory reset’
- Finally, tap on the ‘Reset Phone’
Now, wait for few seconds until the factory data reset completes. Once done, connect with then WiFi network again.
So, these are the four best methods to fix ‘Failed to obtain IP Address’ error message on Android. If you know any other method to fix the error, let us know in the comment box below.
The post How To Fix ‘Failed To Obtain IP Address’ Error On Android appeared first on Tech Viral.
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How To Send Anonymous SMS To Any Number in 2020
It’s not that the SMS or text messaging doesn’t exist today, most of the sensitive information like banking details, OTP passwords, etc were still delivered through SMS. However, our smartphones are just as vulnerable as our computer. Anyone you text automatically knows your contact number. Have you ever wanted to send text messages to anyone without giving away any personal information?
Well, it’s actually possible as there are plenty of online sites offering the anonymous messaging service. You can visit these anonymous text messaging sites to send text messages without giving away your real number. So, in this article, we are going to share some of the best sites to send anonymous text messages.
How To Send Anonymous SMS To Any Number in 2020
It’s worth noting that there are hundreds of anonymous SMS sites available out there. But, not all of them work. So, in this article, we have listed the sites that are popular and works. For security reasons, we have not shared the links of the websites. You can search for the site name on Google to open that website.
List of Websites To Send Anonymous SMS To Any Number
1. Seasms
This is one of the best sites that support 160 character message to send to any number online and you will not need to register any personal details and can send free SMS to any of number. The user-interface of SeaSMS is amazing and it allows you to send unlimited SMS for free.
2. Spicesms
Well, if you are living in India and searching for ways to send SMS to Indian users, then SpiceSms might be the best pick for you. However, the site only allows you to send SMS in India. The message service of this site is very fast as the message will be sent instantly to the receiver end.
3. Smsti
This website allows sending SMS in India only as this is an Indian site that allows you to send free SMS to any number and also you will receive the notification when the receiver receives the SMS that you have sent. So, Smsti is indeed a great messaging service in India that you can consider.
4. Sendanonymoussms
As the name of the site says, SendAnonymousSMS is another best SMS website on the list which can be used to send SMS without giving away your real identity. The best thing about the site is that it allows users to send anonymous messages without registering personal details also the message sending speed is also very fast.
5. Armsms
This is one of the best anonymous SMS sending portals that allows you to send any message all over the world that absolutely free. So, Armsms is one of the best and popular websites on the list which can be used to send anonymous SMS in 2020.
6. Textem
Well, Textem is one of the best and free SMS sites on the list which can be used to send anonymous SMS. However, Textem only focuses on the US region and its limited to United States Carriers only. So, if you are living in the United States, then Textem might be the best site to send unlimited anonymous messages to your friends.
7. TextForFree
It’s the best anonymous messaging site on the list which you can try. TextForFree is pretty much similar to the Textem which had been listed above. What’s interesting is that TextForFree allows users to send more than 140 characters. The good thing is that it’s a fully free service and lets you send SMS to any US number.
8. TxtDrop
If you are searching for a free and easy to use SMS website to send unlimited anonymous text messages to the United States and Canada number, then TxtDrop might be the best pick for you. The user-interface of TxtDrop is pretty clean and well organized, and it’s definitely the best anonymous text messaging service that you can consider.
9. AnonTxt
It is another best site on the list which can be used to send holiday greetings, anonymous message, etc to your friends. On AnonTxt, you don’t need to create an account to send the SMS. Just visit the site, enter all details including name, subject, number, message and then click on the ‘Submit’ button.
10. Anonymous text
Well, Anonymous text is a fully responsive anonymous text messaging service in the United States. With Anonymous text, you can send anonymous messages to any US Number. Unlike most of the other sites, Anonymous text doesn’t asks users to register for a free account to send the text messages.
So above are the ways for How To Send Anonymous SMS To Any Number. I hope you like the post, don’t forget to share this with your friends and leave a comment below if you have any related queries.
The post How To Send Anonymous SMS To Any Number in 2020 appeared first on Tech Viral.
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How To Fix The Proxy Server Refusing Connections Error Message
Just like Google Chrome, Firefox is also used by millions of users. In fact, Mozilla Firefox is doing great recently with its Firefox Quantum project. The web browser packs some interesting features like Adblocker, Anti-crypto miner, etc. However, recently we came across a few users who were discussing an error message ‘The Proxy Server Is Refusing the Connection’
This error message is not limited to Firefox users only as it has been reported on Google Chrome as well. The error message ‘The Proxy Server is refusing the connection’ occurs every time when users try to open any website. The error message is restricting users from visiting any website.
So, here in this article, we are to talk about how to fix the proxy server is refusing the connection error on Firefox and Chrome browser. But before we share the fixes, let’s know how the Proxy server works and how it affects the web browsing.
How Proxy Server Affects Web Browsing?
Well, Proxy Server is a little bit similar to the VPN apps that we use. Proxy Server acts as a middleman between the server and the computer. Let’s say you are visiting techviral, so the proxy server comes between Techviral’s server and your computer. So, in this way, Techviral’s server will receive the IP Address of the Proxy that you have used instead of your original IP Address.
As we have mentioned Proxy Server is pretty much similar to the VPN because it’s mostly used to hide the identity of any user. However, there are lots of malware filled extensions or add-ons available on the web that plays with the Proxy settings. This is where the problem begins and users get errors like ‘Proxy Server is Refusing the connection’.
How To Fix The Proxy Server Is Refusing Connections?
The easiest method to fix the Proxy Server is Refusing Connection error from the web browser is to reset the proxy settings. On the Firefox Browser, users get the option to reset the Proxy settings and you can do so by following the steps given below.
Step 1. First of all, open your Firefox browser and then click on the three horizontal lines.
Step 2. Next, select the option and it will load up another window. On the next window, select ‘Advanced’ and then select ‘Network’
Step 3. Now you will see another window. There you need to select ‘Connection’ and then click on ‘Settings’
Step 4. Under the Connection Settings, select ‘No Proxy’ and click on ‘OK’
That’s it, you are done! This is how you can reset the proxy settings of Firefox Browser. If you have any other doubts, discuss it with us in the comments.
Check PC Lan Proxy Settings
Well, some ISP does require the use of a proxy server. So, if the above method failed to fix the ‘Proxy server refusing connection error message’, then you need to check whether the proxy settings of your computer has been changed. Few software and VPNs often change the proxy settings of your PC leading to such errors.
Simply open the Start menu and search for Configure Proxy Server. Open it and click on the Connection tab’. If your ISP doesn’t require the use of a proxy server, then the settings will be set to ‘Automatically detect settings’.
However, if your ISP requires a proxy server to work, then there will be two option – Use automatic configuration script, Use a proxy server for your LAN. If your ISP uses the automatic proxy configuration, then the address field behind the ‘automatic configuration script’ will be filled in. You just need to check that checkbox to fix the error message
Using AdwCleaner
As we have mentioned early in the post, the error message occurs because of malicious extensions and add-ons. Have you recently installed any bypass tool? Or any Coupon Saver? Well, if you are unable to figure out the exact extension or add-on, then you can try AdwCleaner.
AdwCleaner effectively scans and removes PUPs and adware from your computer. It can clean your web browsers as well. So, here’s how you can use AdwCleaner to solve Proxy Server Refusing Connections.
Step 1. First of all, download AdwCleaner from the link given below. It’s a mini tool and it just needs less than 20 MB to install on your computer.
Step 2. Once installed, open AdwCleaner and click on the ‘Scan’ button.
Step 3. Now, wait until AdwCleaner completes the scan. If your web browser is infected with adware of PUPs, then the tool will list it down. Simply click on the ‘Clean’ button to remove the infected files.
Step 4. Once done, AdwCleaner will ask you to save any open files. It will then restart your computer.
That’s it, you are done! This is how you can fix Proxy Server Refusing Connections by using AdwCleaner.
Reset Network Settings
Well, if all of the above-mentioned methods failed to fix the ‘Proxy server refusing connections’ error message, then you need to reset the entire network settings of Windows 10 computer. If there’s a problem with the network settings, then no browser will be able to connect to the internet. Follow some of the simple steps given below to reset Network settings on Windows 10.
Step 1. First of all, right-click on the Windows button and select ‘Command Prompt (Admin)’
Step 2. This will open the Command Prompt Window.
Step 3. On the command prompt window, you need to enter the following commands –
netsh int ip reset
netsh winsock reset
netsh winhttp reset proxy
Once done, restart the PC. After the restart, open the web browser and visit the sites. You won’t get the error anymore.
So, this is how you can fix Proxy Server Refusing Connections from different web browsers. If it’s not fixed, then the final option is to reinstall the web browser. If you have any other doubts, then make sure to discuss it with us in the comment box below.
The post How To Fix The Proxy Server Refusing Connections Error Message appeared first on Tech Viral.
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