Tech NewsWrap: Facebook changes name to Meta… and more

Facebook changes name to Meta

Facebook chief Mark Zukerberg announced the parent company’s name is being changed to ‘Meta’ to represent a future beyond just its troubled social network. WhatsApp, Facebook and Instagram will keep their names under the rebranding. The new handle comes as the social media giant tries to fend off one its worst crises yet and pivot to its ambitions for the “metaverse” virtual reality version of the internet that the tech giant sees as the future.

Redmi Note 11 series with MediaTek SoCs launched

Redmi Note 11 series of smartphones were launched officially in China. The range includes – Redmi Note 11 5G, Redmi Note 11 Pro, and the Redmi Note 11 Pro Plus. The latter is the most premium variant of the lot. Apart from battery and fast charging support, the Redmi Note 11 Pro and Redmi Note 11 Pro Plus have almost identical specifications. The Redmi Note 11 Pro Plus packs a 4,500mAh battery with 120W fast charging support. On the other hand, Redmi Note 11 Pro packs a 5,160mAh battery with 67W fast charging support.

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WhatsApp working on improved privacy settings for desktop app, says leaker

WhatsApp has been adding several new features to the messaging app over the past year, from multi-device support allowing users to add up to four devices in addition to their smartphone, a new View Once mode for messages, a new Archive mode for chats, iOS to Android chat transfers and improvements to group calling. The service has also been working on improving the privacy settings on iOS and Android, and will soon bring these settings to the desktop version of the app, according to a new leak.

Apple allows users to rate and review party-apps

Apple allowed users to review and rate first party apps like the Phone app, Messages, Photos Safari and more on the App Store. For the unversed, these are the pre-installed apps that users will find in their iPhones. Prior to this, the tech giant did not allow users to rate its own apps. Some first-party apps by Apple can now be downloaded separately, but users were never allowed to review them, especially apps like News and Podcasts, Mail that didn’t work for most users and started with three-star ratings.