Android users of Whatsapp can Hide now

The $19 billion aquisition of Whatsapp by Facebook has brought in some changes and one of that coming up after a lot of Android users requests from around the world. It is now confirmed that WhatsApp will now let them hide their timestamps.

The was till now only a coveted feature of WhatsApp's iOS users, lets people keep to themselves when they were last seen online. This new feature will extend to the purview of visibility of status messages and profile photos same as the way Facebook lets users customize what they want to show publicly. 

Now this feature is available only to Android users meanwhile WhatsApp's iOS users will have to wait for it.

This is not yet available on Google Play. For users who want to experience it soon have to download the apk file from the official website of WhatApp. You have to change security settings on Android devices need to be changed before the new update can be installed.

Once installed onto an android device, the APK file will present users with two options - to use either 'package Installer' or 'Verify and Install'. WhatsApp asks users to choose the Package Installer option, which will seek permission to make changes to the app. When allowed, the installer will not affect the user's existing Whatsapp data.

From the settings menu on the app privacy option provides users with three choices, namely, 'Everyone', 'My contacts' and 'Nobody'. This comes with a catch; Once a user hides their online presence,they will simultaneously forego the ability to see other people's timestamps, whether or not they have changed their privacy settings.

One option that Android users will have an interesting edge over their iOS counterparts: They can switch between being 'seen' and 'unseen' more than once in a day - there is no upper limit on the number of times they can switch. iPhone users need to wait an entire 24 hours before they can change their visibility.

Read More

Using Apps even before they debut in Google Play Store

Interested in trying out apps before they are out for the public to use them in the Android market. Being first in seeing what is there in the new releases is a voracious appetite in the the current environment of smartphones. Alternatively, what if you just have to be first in the queue and learn what new apps are about to be unleashed onto the Android market. You can go before the original date of release and become a beta tester.

First utilising an early version and being able to test it in the real world improves the robustness of the app as it faces possibly unknown situations that can lead it to fail in programming terms. Real life is a tough testing environment and it allows the app to face new conditions, different phone types, it brings it into contact with unique settings setups and app configurations and also allows beta testers to keep in contact with the developer- helping to get to know why the particular feature is not implemented or why this app is not able to do this when it can do it.

Google to that end has tried to encourage more development by providing a supportive testing environment, opening up facilities in Google+ for beta testing. As tweaks are initiated and improvements are made, then the app can become more accessible with a higher percentage of testers allowed to see it an trial it, until it finally goes public.

When you are on the Google Play website and you find the app that you would like to get to know better and help develop further, enter their page and scroll down to the base of the page to the 'Additional Information' section. If you have past experience of being a beta tester you can test the app and provide information to the developer that things that could be improved. This and other similar ploys will help to get  yourself noticed and possible selected. Another way is to keep a look out for news of beta testing programs and invitations to join. Some of these can be found with the internet news media but others can be found if you hang around the Google+ communities.
Just search for Google+, create your profile and, when you're done, click on the communities option on your home page. When you're in, enter the word 'beta' in the search bar and a whole host of beta programmes will appear, allow you to investigate and possibly join.

Related articles

• Import your Gmail account to Outlook.com

Read More