WhatsApp has detailed how users can identify if a business they are communicating with on the app is verified. In a dedicated FAQ page on its website, WhatsApp says users can head to the business’ profile and look for a badge; there are three types of badges that indicate a profile belongs to a business. The badge with green tick signifies a Verified profile and that an authentic brand owns the account, while the badge with grey tick is for Confirmed profiles and indicates that the phone number is indeed of a brand. Then there’s the Business account, which is signified by a grey question mark that denotes a business account that has not been confirmed or verified yet. WhatsApp also says users will be able to block business accounts from contacting them in Settings.
Idea offers 84GB data, free roaming outgoing calls at Rs. 509
Idea Cellular has launched a Rs. 509 prepaid plan that offers customers 1GB data per day and free roaming outgoing calls for 84 days. Competing directly with the Jio Rs. 459 plan, this Idea recharge pack also provides free local and STD calls and SMSes for the validity period. Separately, Idea prepaid users will be eligible for up to 100 percent cashback on recharges of Rs. 300 and above in the next one year. These come just a day after the telecom operator upgraded the data allocation of its Rs. 198 plan by 50 percent in two circles.
Nokia smartphones won’t support Google’s Project Treble
HMD Global phones, from the entry-level Nokia 2 to the top-end Nokia 8, will not be part of Google’s Project Treble that aims to make it easier to push Android updates. HMD Chief Product Officer Juho Sarvikas said the company has not created a separate partition for Project Treble in its smartphones’s ROM, which is critical to the Google initiative. However, he added that the company is still committed to giving customers the software updates, and pointed out that the end user experience will not be affected even without Treble. Previously, OnePlus had confirmed that its smartphones won’t support Treble either.
2018 iPhone models said to have bigger batteries
KGI Securities Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has said that Apple will use bigger batteries in the three iPhone models it will launch in 2018. It will apparently be re-using the L-shaped battery design of this year’s iPhone X in the next models, and that the 5.8-inch variant will have capacity of 2900-3000mAh, higher than the 2716mAh pack of the 2018 flagship. The 6.5-inch model will also feature a large battery.
While there is no mention of the capacity of the 6.1-inch Apple model, it is expected to be a relatively affordable handset. Instead of the OLED panel of the 5.8-inch and 6.5-inch iPhones, this one is said to have a LCD screen. Now a new report claims it will feature a multi-coloured metallic back panel, another thing it will have in common with the pre-2017 models. Moreover, this means it will not feature wireless charging, which was introduced with the iPhone 8, 8 Plus, and iPhone X and requires a glass back.
OnePlus 5T receives OxygenOS 4.7.4 update
The OxygenOS 4.7.4 update for OnePlus 5T is being rolled out by the company, weighing 285MB in size. Based on Android Nougat, the update brings a number of camera improvements, including a better Camera UI, improvements to enhance the image quality. Apart from these, OxygenOS 4.7.4 comes with battery usage optimisations on Wi-Fi, improved stability of GPS and fingerprint sensor, system stability improvements, and general bug fixes for OnePlus 5T.
Bitcoin marketplace NiceHash hacked, more than $60 million lost
Cryptocurrency mining marketplace NiceHash has announced that it lost Bitcoins worth approximately $64 million due a hack that affected its payment system. NiceHash executive Andrej P. Skraba called the hack “highly professional” and said about 4,700 Bitcoins were lost. The exchange advised users to change their passwords but provided few details of the attack on the payment system. It remains unclear if customers suffered some losses from the NiceHash hack.
LG Signature Edition with ceramic body launched at KRW 2,000,000
LG Signature Edition smartphone has been launched in South Korea at a price of KRW 2,000,000 (roughly Rs. 1,18,000). The smartphone is essentially the LG V30, but features a Zirconium Ceramic-made shell that is said to be scratch-proof; buyers can choose to have their names engraved on the back of the handset. Available in Black and White colour options, the handset will be a Limited Edition model, and only 300 units will be sold in total. LG is also providing a special after-sales service, as well as B&O wired headphones and Bluetooth headset to buyers. As for key specifications, LG Signature Edition has a 6-inch QHD screen, Android 8.0 Oreo with LG Pay integration, Snapdragon 835 chipset, 6GB RAM, 256GB storage, and 3300mAh battery with wireless charging.
YouTube reportedly plans to launch paid music subscription
YouTube aims to debut a paid music streaming service as early as March next year, according to a new report. Internally referred to as Remix, the YouTube service is said to already have record labels Warner Music Group on board, while Sony Music Entertainment, Universal Music Group and others are still said to be in discussions. The subscription service will compete with the likes of Apple Music and Spotify, along with Google’s Play Music.