Whatsapp

Meta-owned messaging platform is experimenting with new personalisation tools in its Android beta version, potentially allowing users to change themes, accent colours and app icons, signalling a shift from its long-standing green-centric design identity. WhatsApp appears to be preparing a significant visual refresh for its Android application, with new personalisation features currently under development. The upcoming tools, identified in a recent beta build, indicate that users may soon be able to tailor the app’s appearance with greater flexibility. The features were first reported by WhatsApp tracker WABetaInfo, which spotted the changes in an Android beta release. Although the options are not yet accessible to the general public, they are being tested with a limited group of developers and beta users, suggesting a broader rollout could follow in a future update. New icons and visual themes in the works The beta version, reportedly numbered 2.26.6.1, introduces a range of alternative app icons designed to offer a fresh look on users’ home screens. In total, 14 icon styles have been identified. Seven of these appear to follow minimalist, single-colour designs such as blue, brown, green, monochrome, orange, pink and purple. The remaining icons adopt more stylised themes, carrying names like Aurora, Fluffy

The government on Tuesday cited existing legal and regulatory provisions after concerns were raised in Parliament over the illegal circulation and sale of pornographic material through Telegram channels, WhatsApp groups and other encrypted mobile applications. Responding to a question in the Lok Sabha, Minister of State for Electronics and IT Jitin Prasada said the policies of the government are aimed at ensuring an open, safe, trusted and accountable internet, particularly to prevent violence against women and exploitation of minors. IT Act and IT Rules Framework The minister referred to the Information Technology Act, 2000 and the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021 as the primary framework to deal with unlawful and harmful online content. Under the IT Act, publishing or transmitting obscene or sexually explicit content is punishable under Sections 67, 67A and 67B. The Act also empowers police to investigate offences under Sections 78 and 80. The IT Rules, 2021 require intermediaries to exercise due diligence and prohibit hosting or transmitting content that is obscene, pornographic, harmful to children, invasive of privacy or otherwise unlawful. Key provisions include: Removal of non-consensual intimate imagery within 24 hours Resolution of grievances within 72 hours Appointment of

(Image credit: Sanuj Bhatia / Android Central) What you need to know WhatsApp Web now lets users make and answer audio and video calls directly from the browser for the first time. The new calling feature on WhatsApp Web supports end-to-end encryption and screen sharing, similar to desktop apps. The feature is currently limited to WhatsApp Web beta users, with a wider rollout expected soon. After years of waiting, WhatsApp has finally started rolling out the ability to make and answer audio and video calls directly from its web client. Alongside desktop apps for Windows, macOS, and more recently iPadOS, WhatsApp has long offered a web client that lets users send and receive messages through a browser. The functionality has existed for over a decade now, and while WhatsApp Web has seen several feature additions and UI changes over the years, the ability to answer calls was missing until now. As spotted by WABetaInfo, WhatsApp Web is now rolling out support for both making and answering calls directly from the browser. The report notes that the feature has been in development for around a year and is finally starting to reach users. (Image credit: WABetaInfo) Similar to the desktop apps

WhatsApp Web has been around since 2015, but the browser version of the messaging platform has yet to support voice or video calls. That’s about to change as the WhatsApp Web beta program is now introducing voice and video calls. The feature is gradually rolling out to beta subscribers and only works for one-to-one voice and video calls. Users can also share their screen during calls. Group calls are expected to arrive at a later point in time with support for calls with up to 32 participants. Call links and scheduled calls are also expected to be gradually rolled out. Calls placed on WhatsApp Web feature automatic end-to-end encryption using the Signal protocol. Source

The EU sent Meta a formal antitrust warning, giving the company a chance to respond and defend itself AFP February 09, 2026 2 min read This illustration photograph taken on December 1, 2025, shows the logo of US instant messaging software WhatsApp displayed on a smartphone's screen, in Frankfurt am Main, western Germany. The European Commission told Meta on February 9, 2026 to give rival chatbots access to its WhatsApp messaging service after an antitrust probe found the US giant to be in breach of the bloc's competition rules.PHOTO FILE: AFP The EU executive told Meta on Monday that it must let rival AI chatbots use its WhatsApp platform, after an antitrust probe found the US giant to be in breach of the bloc's competition rules. The European Commission said a change in Meta's terms had "effectively" barred third-party artificial intelligence assistants from connecting to customers via the messaging platform since January. Competition chief Teresa Ribera said the EU was "considering" interim measures to "avoid Meta's new policy irreparably harming competition in Europe". The EU executive sent Meta a warning known as a "statement of objections", a formal step in antitrust probes, and the US giant now has a chance

Our systems have detected unusual traffic from your computer network. Please try your request again later. Why did this happen? IP address: 114.129.128.174Time: 2026-02-09T16:37:18ZURL: https://www.youtube.com/watch%3Fv%3DWo6gFxDqoQc

Google Warns Android: A new warning has been issued for Android smartphone users. Google recently alerted millions of Android users about a dangerous malware called Arsink Malware. Cybersecurity researchers say this is not a typical virus but a highly dangerous Remote Access Trojan (RAT) that can steal personal information and take complete control of a device once it infects a phone. According to a report by mobile security company Zimperium, Arsink malware is spreading in multiple variants, making it difficult to detect and stop. It often infiltrates phones through apps that appear legitimate and trustworthy, tricking users into installing them. What is Arsink Malware and how it spreads Add Zee News as a Preferred Source Arsink is not a regular virus. It is designed to quietly run in the background and give attackers deep access to an infected phone. Cybersecurity researchers warn that it can read messages, access call logs, steal contacts, record audio using the microphone, and even access files stored on the device. (Also Read: Google Aluminium OS Explained: Launch timeline, features, and what it means for Chromebook existing users) The malware usually spreads outside the Google Play Store. It is commonly shared through Telegram channels, Discord posts, third‑party websites

A polar bear resting with her cubs, a crafty crab hitching a ride on a jellyfish, and a young sloth safe in his mother’s embrace are just among the many images picked for the Wildlife Photographer of the Year People’s Choice Award 2026 1/15 Bond in Motion: The striking eyes of a curious lion-tailed macaque and its infant are on display as it races along a path. Image Courtesy: Lalith Ekanayake/Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2/15 Flying Rodent: A young lynx playfully throws a rodent into the air before killing and devouring it. Image Courtesy: Josef Stefan/Wildlife Photographer of the Year 3/15 Swirling Superpod: A spectacular superpod of spinner dolphins herds lanternfish towards the surface of the ocean. Image Courtesy: Cecile Gabillon/Wildlife Photographer of the Year 4/15 Family Rest: A mother polar bear and her three cubs pause peacefully in the summer heat. Image Courtesy: Christopher Paetkau/ 5/15 Dark Knight: A rare tiger with wide, dark stripes wanders a tiger reserve in India. Image Courtesy: Prasenjeet Yadav/Wildlife Photographer of the Year 6/15 Hold Me Tightly: A brown-throated three-toed sloth mother cradles her young in her arms to shelter it from the rain. Image Courtesy: Dvir Barkay/Wildlife Photographer of the Year

As part of our new training for branch committee members, we will be running a session on how to make the best use of WhatsApp in your branch. This one-hour session will be based on the TUC's best practice guidelines and is an opportunity for you to come along, share how you are using WhatsApp in your own branch and hear from other branches about how they are using this messaging app to say connected with members. Please try to find somewhere quiet to join the session and be prepared to turn your camera on if you'd like to make a contribution to the group discussion. If you cannot turn on your camera, you will be asked to write in the chat box instead. This helps us to ensure the session is accessible for all other participants.

On February 3, the Supreme Court posed a question many users have wondered: When WhatsApp says you have a "choice" about sharing data, but the alternative is losing the app entirely — is that really a choice? This sits at the heart of a five-year legal battle over the messaging app's 2021 privacy policy that has now reached India's highest court, with implications for how democracies regulate digital monopolies. In January 2021, WhatsApp updated its privacy policy, requiring Indian users to accept expanded data-sharing with Meta companies — Facebook and Instagram — or stop using the app. Unlike a 2016 policy that allowed users to opt out, the 2021 version eliminated the choice. Also read: What Justice Bhuyan’s remarks on judicial transfers reveal about state of judicial independence The data includes phone numbers, transaction details, business interactions, and information from websites with WhatsApp features. Users faced what the Competition Commission of India (CCI) called a 'take-it-or-leave-it' ultimatum: accept or leave. Critically, as the CCI found, even though WhatsApp later announced users wouldn't lose functionality for refusing the update, this "announcement did not withdraw the new terms of service and privacy policy". The 2021 policy remains effective, and crucially, "grants WhatsApp