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Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 4 review: Stellar sound, forward-looking features

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Companies don’t need to make huge updates to their wireless earbuds across generations. Sometimes, making a great set more reliable and adding features that extend their lifespan are upgrades enough. That’s what Sennheiser has done for the Momentum True Wireless 4 ($300). The company’s fourth-generation earbuds retain the excellent sound quality I’ve come to expect from Sennheiser along with rebuilt Bluetooth tech, higher-resolution sound, support for Bluetooth LE Audio and a tool for battery longevity. But, not everyone will reap all of the benefits I encountered during my Momentum True Wireless 4 review.

Momentum True Wireless 4: Design

The Momentum True Wireless 4 is identical in appearance to the Momentum True Wireless 3, with the only difference being a new copper/black color option alongside the existing silver/black and silver/white versions. Also, you’ll now get a fourth, extra-small, set of ear tips and the company still includes three sizes of stabilizer arcs to help you get an ideal fit. Sennheiser’s Smart Control app has a fit test too, so you’ve got help there. The company has also upgraded the dust and moisture protection here with an IP54 rating, so they now withstand fine debris in addition to water spray.

There are, however, some important changes inside the Momentum True Wireless 4. That includes an update to Qualcomm’s S5 Sound Gen 2 platform with Snapdragon Sound. Part of the Bluetooth overhaul I mentioned is a redesigned antenna, which makes this fourth-gen set of wireless earbuds more reliable. Users had reported issues with dropouts and the companion app failing to recognize the Momentum True Wireless 3, so Sennheiser is clearly addressing those issues here.

Software and features

Like with recent Sennheiser audio gear, the company’s Sound Control app is where you access all of the settings and customization options for the Momentum True Wireless 4. The main interface gives you quick access to battery percentages, Bluetooth connections, personalized sound, ANC settings, transparency level, reconfiguring touch controls, fit test and Sound Zones. That last feature allows you to automate changes to audio settings like ANC and transparency on your location. You can set up to 20 of these “zones” for places like home, work and the gym. Of course, you have to give the app permission to monitor your whereabouts to use this.

Sennheiser has taken steps to future-proof these flagship earbuds – ensuring they last for the next few years, at least. First, they support Bluetooth 5.4, which is ready for LE Audio and Auracast. Those items aren’t available on the Momentum True Wireless 4 just yet, but Sennheiser is planning an update this spring that will deliver features like broadcast audio, audio sharing and assisted listening.

If you have a recent premium Android phone, the inclusion of Snapdragon Sound will come in handy for increased audio quality. The Qualcomm processor in those devices can muster what Sennheiser calls “flawless” lossless audio when streaming from a compatible music service. There are two settings here: high resolution at 24-bit/96kHz via aptX Adaptive and lossless at 16-bit/44.1kHz with aptX Lossless.

The final quality-of-life update concerns the battery. In order to maintain better performance over time, Sennheiser added a battery protection mode that stops the buds from charging past 80 percent. This is important since earbud batteries are almost never replaceable and preventing them from overcharging will extend its lifespan. It’s nice to see the company making a product last longer, which will also have environmental impacts.

Momentum True Wireless 4: Sound quality

White/silver Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 4 earbuds laying on a wooden table with the case open behind them.
Photo by Billy Steele/Engadget

Sennheiser has a longstanding reputation for great sound quality and the Momentum True Wireless 4 continues that tradition. I couldn’t detect a huge difference between the Momentum True Wireless 4 and its predecessor, though, despite the company saying this year’s model has “evolved tuning” that includes things like “smoother treble response, extensive bass and effortless midrange.” And that’s just fine because the Momentum True Wireless 3 already sounded amazing.

There’s still great detail and clarity here, combined with a warm, inviting sound profile that’s enjoyable for hours on end. Even though the bass is boomy and punchy when a song like Incendiary’s “Lie of Liberty” demands it, the low-end tone never overpowers. And you can easily hear the texture of the distorted guitars, clanging hits on the ride cymbal and other subtleties on that bombastic hardcore track. Shift over to something more mellow like Charles Wesley Godwin’s Apple Music Sessions and the level of detail envelopes you even more. Those songs are also available in Dolby Atmos, so they really allow the Momentum True Wireless 4 to shine.

If the stock tuning doesn’t suit you, you can adjust a 5-band EQ and save any custom presets. The app also offers Sound Personalization, which tunes the audio to your listening preference via a quick test. The Momentum True Wireless 4 sounded great out of the box and I left the tuning untouched except for a bit of due diligence.

Android users can take advantage of the increased audio quality I mentioned earlier. There is a noticeable difference in the sound, especially in the finer details, but whether it’s “better” depends on your preferences. Of course, that higher-resolution playback will impact battery life and you’ll need a specific streaming plan (like Tidal’s Hi-Fi or Hi-Fi Plus options) or locally stored files to use what Snapdragon Sound offers in the first place.

iPhone owners shouldn’t feel left out as Apple’s AAC streaming also sounds great on the Momentum True Wireless 4. It’s aided by the fact that Apple Music’s audio quality is superior to other services, especially if the tunes are available in Dolby Atmos.

ANC performance

White/silver Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 4 earbud sitting in its case with the lid open, one earbud sitting on a wooden table on its side.
Photo by Billy Steele/Engadget

Like its predecessor, the Momentum True Wireless 4 has an adaptive ANC setup that automatically adjusts to changes in your environment for a more “immersive listening experience.” Sennheiser didn’t point out any differences in its noise-canceling setup on this new model and I didn’t notice any discernible improvement or decline. The ANC works just fine in most settings, but like most earbuds and headphones, it struggles with sounds like human voices. I also found that it’s not as robust as the best buds from Bose and Sony with some sources of constant noise, like white noise machines and noisy fans.

Call quality

Sennheiser uses six microphones to handle calls on the Momentum True Wireless 4. Overall quality is good, but not pristine, as long as you’re in a quiet spot. Constant noise like a raucous fan comes across as a nondescript hum, but it’s still noticeable. Transparency mode helps a bit during calls, if only to let you be aware of your surroundings. It has a natural sound compared to other earbuds, but doesn’t pipe in your voice, so the end result isn’t as good as Apple’s AirPods Pro.

Momentum True Wireless 4: Battery life

The Momentum True Wireless 4’s battery is rated to last seven hours with ANC on, but you can extend that 30 minutes by disabling it. During my tests, which consisted of mostly ANC listening at around 70-percent volume with a few calls using transparency mode, I easily hit the seven-hour mark. Factor in the case, which supports wireless charging, and you can expect up to 30 hours of playback on the go. There's also a wireless quick-charge feature with the battery protection mode that gives you an hour of use in just eight minutes.

The competition

The leader of the pack is still Sony’s WF-1000XM5. While the Momentum True Wireless 4 has the edge in terms of sound quality, Sony’s earbuds offer better noise-canceling and a host of handy features. Tools like Speak-to-Chat automatic pausing and DSEE Extreme audio upscaling cannot be overlooked. Sony also provides the ability to automatically change sound settings based on your location like Sennheiser does, so you don’t have to sacrifice that feature. The WF-1000XM5 debuted last July, which means you can find them on sale often. They’re currently going for $278, $22 less than the Momentum True Wireless 4.

Wrap-up

No new design? No problem. Sennheiser has made enough upgrades to the Momentum True Wireless 4 to make it a compelling entry in a growing line of stellar-sounding earbuds. Sound quality is great as always, and that’s the biggest selling point for me. Combine that with the higher-resolution audio on Android, forward-facing features and solid battery life, and this model checks a lot of boxes for a flagship set of buds. Sure, ANC could be better and some folks will yearn for spatial audio, but just because the Momentum True Wireless 4 is superb in some areas doesn’t mean it’s perfect.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/sennheiser-momentum-true-wireless-4-review-stellar-sound-forward-looking-features-153004419.html?src=rss

Qualcomm says most Windows games will work on its latest Arm laptop chipset

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Qualcomm is said to have new Arm-based laptops of its own in the pipeline, while consumer versions of the new Surface Pro 10 and Surface Laptop 6 that run on the Snapdragon X Elite chipset are believed to be on the way. While that in the past would have meant the makers of x86- and x64-based Windows software needing to port their apps, Qualcomm sought to assure game developers that their titles will run just fine out of the box on any unannounced Snapdragon X Elite systems that just happen to be coming up.

At the Game Developers Conference, Qualcomm engineer Issam Khalil told the audience that the computers will use emulation to run many x86 and x64 games at nearly full speed without the need to tweak the code or change any assets. According to The Verge, Khalil explained that games are typically bottlenecked by the graphics processing unit, and emulation doesn't impact GPU performance. As such (save for some CPU cost when a block of code in a game runs through its emulation process for the first time), Qualcomm suggests many titles will perform just fine.

There are some caveats. Certain games simply won't work through emulation, particularly those using kernel-level anti-cheat tech. However, Qualcomm has been testing its emulation with the top games on Steam and appears convinced that its tech should be able to handle most games.

Otherwise, Khalil told developers that they have two other options for running their games on Snapdragon-based Windows machines. They can fully port their titles to native ARM64 for optimal CPU performance and power usage. Alternatively, Qualcomm will support hybrid ARM64EC apps, in which Windows libraries and Qualcomm’s drivers run natively, but the other parts of the software are emulated. This is said to deliver “near-native” performance.

If Qualcomm can actually pull off this emulation trick as promised, it'll be an impressive move, and it could ultimately help Arm-based Windows laptops offer a blend of strong performance and better power efficiency than x86 Intel-based machines. However, the proof is in the pudding. Qualcomm hasn't had a terrific track record of x86/x64 emulation thus far. In fact, senior editor Devindra Hardawar criticized the Arm-based Surface Pro 9 for its poor Windows emulation.

So far, Apple has arguably been the most successful company at emulating x86 software on its Arm-based M-series chips with the help of its Rosetta 2 translation layer. One key point to bear in mind here is that Apple has total control over the entire ecosystem, as PC Gamer notes, including the hardware and operating system. As such, Apple can perhaps better optimize the emulation process than other companies that provide fewer parts of the equation, such as Qualcomm with its GPUs and CPUs.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/qualcomm-says-most-windows-games-will-work-on-its-latest-arm-laptop-chipset-152540577.html?src=rss

Amazon Big Spring Sale: It’s the last day to save up to 50 percent on tech from Apple, Anker, Sony and others

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Amazon’s Big Spring Sale is nearly over and if you’re interested in saving on tech, you’ve come to the right place. This sale event may not have been a boon for discounts on laptops, tablets, wearables and the like, but we were able to dig up a number of decent tech deals available right now. While most of these prices are not the same as those we saw during the Black Friday time period, some get pretty close (as a general rule of thumb, a good price in March isn’t necessarily the same thing as a good price in November). As a reminder, the Big Spring Sale comes to a close at the end of the day March 25, so you have limited time left to shop these deals. Here are the best Amazon Spring Sale discounts on tech we love that you can get before the event ends.

Best Spring Sale deals under $50

Best Spring Sale deals on Amazon devices

Best Spring Sale deals on Apple devices

Best Spring Sale deals on headphones, earbuds and speakers

Best Spring Sale deals on smartphones

Best Spring Sale deals on gaming gear

Best Spring Sale deals on smart home tech

Best Spring Sale deals on other tech

Best tech deals available elsewhere on the web

Your Spring Sales Shopping Guide: Spring sales are in the air, headlined by Amazon’s Big Spring sale event. Our expert editors are curating all the best spring sales right here. Follow Engadget to shop the best tech deals from Amazon’s Big Spring Sale, hear from Autoblog’s car experts on the best spring auto deals on Amazon, and find spring sales to shop on AOL, handpicked just for you.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/amazon-big-spring-sale-its-the-last-day-to-save-up-to-50-percent-on-tech-from-apple-anker-sony-and-others-151518432.html?src=rss

The 5 best meditation apps for 2024

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Meditation is often touted as a mental cure-all, purported to help with stress, sleep, mood, focus and even certain medical conditions. I’ve been meditating most of my adult life. I’ve done silent retreats. I’ve been formally trained in various techniques. I’ve had someone in my contacts list who I referred to as a “guru.” So I feel I’m relatively qualified to give some bad news: Meditation won’t fix your life, despite what David Lynch says. However, there’s also some good news: Despite not actually being a cure-all for everything bad in the universe, meditation can certainly take the edge off.

This is where meditation apps can come into play. Of course, practicing mindfulness doesn’t require an app; people have been doing it for thousands of years, with nary a smartphone in sight. But mindfulness apps can be useful in a number of ways. They provide access to all kinds of guided meditations to suit different styles. Some even offer social connections, which can motivate you to keep up your practice via the magic of peer pressure. They are also particularly well-suited to beginners, with many of them offering a free trial. With all of this in mind, I downloaded some of the most popular meditation apps and set about sitting calmly on a comfortable chair to test them out. What follows is a comparison aimed at real people just looking to squeeze a bit more joy and relaxation out of daily life.

How we tested meditation apps

Every brain is different, so I did not rate these apps based on if they sync up with my preferred meditation style. First and foremost, I looked for apps that cater to various methods and those that offer guided meditations that go beyond what’s free on YouTube. All of the items on this list are available on both Android and iOS, so you won’t have to worry about something being only for iPhone owners.

Of course, there’s lots of free stuff out there, from podcasts and videos on YouTube to audio tracks on streaming services. You can even find guided breathing sessions on an Apple Watch or Fitbit, as well as meditations in Fitness+, Samsung Health or any number of workout video providers. For this guide, I focused on apps that stood out in some way. I liked apps with huge libraries of guided meditations and those that offer additional mindfulness activities, like yoga routines. I also looked for easy-to-use apps with well-designed layouts. You don’t want to start your meditation journey with a clunky app that actually increases anxiety.

The most important thing with meditation is to keep doing it, so I awarded points for clever gamification elements, simple social network integration and anything else that encourages repeat visits. Finally, I considered extra features that set an app apart from the glut of competitors out there. For example, some meditation apps offer novel ways to track your progress, access to yoga routines and a whole lot more.

At the end of the day, each of these apps has its strengths. But if installing an app or using a device is not how you prefer to meditate, you can always turn off your phone and find a quiet room or environment. For those of us who need a little help from a digital guru, though, here are our favorite apps for meditation.

Other meditation gear we tested

Brain-tracking wearables have been around for years, but there are some newer devices that have been tailor-made for meditators. These gadgets track the brain during meditations and offer real-time feedback. It’s a real boon for the data-obsessed, but also a real bank account drainer, with some gadgets costing thousands of dollars. I took two of the more-popular options for a spin to see what they’d make of my brain.

Sens.ai Neurofeedback System

Sens.ai is a weird contraption that not only claims to track brainwaves, but gives real-time feedback to “teach” people how to meditate and enter a flow state. The device involves a giant headset that’s stuffed with brainwave sensors that detect beta, alpha, theta and gamma waves, in addition to heart-rate sensors. It also comes with a truly bizarre companion gadget that uses light stimulation (transcranial photobiomodulation) to keep an eye on focus and attention levels. The whole thing is combined with an app that keeps track of dozens of data metrics and allows access to various guided meditations.

I’m as surprised as you to say that this thing appears to work, with some caveats. It’s uncanny how well it monitors the brain during meditations. If I got lost in a thought spiral about lasagna at six minutes in, sure enough, there would be a dip in analytics at the six-minute mark. It’s also fairly easy to use, despite a process that involves wetting a number of electrodes. As magical as the accurate brain-tracking seems to be, however, I wasn’t as keen on the actual training portion, which often involves staring at a screen throughout the entirety of the practice. It’s also not for the financial faint of heart, as the Sens.ai device costs $1,500.

NeoRhythm Omnipemf

NeoRhythm’s Omnipemf is another wearable to help people get into that ever-elusive flow state. It doesn’t track your brain, but rather floods it with electromagnetic fields at specific frequencies to make it more susceptible to meditation and focus. This is supposed to prime your brain for the meditative state and, in theory, make it easier to capture that zen. However, I didn’t get much from it, other than a placebo-esque buzzing in my head.

To use it, you simply pop on the wearable and go about your day. You aren’t tied to an app, so you can meditate in whatever way you like. There are multiple modes that go beyond meditation, as this thing is supposed to help with focus, pain relief and sleep. I’d wait for some peer-reviewed studies, however, before buying this.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/best-meditation-app-140047993.html?src=rss

Engadget Podcast: Surface Pro 10 and Laptop 6 are all about business

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Microsoft finally announced the Surface Pro 10 and Laptop 6 this week, but you won’t find them in any retail stores. You can only buy them on Microsoft’s website and through enterprise resellers. This week, Cherlynn and Devindra discuss why Microsoft is positioning these computers for businesses, and what it could mean for the future of the Surface lineup. The company is hinting that it’ll have consumer devices soon – likely the Pro 10 and Laptop 6 without as much corporate baggage. But there may also be room for an entirely new form of Surface. Perhaps it’s time for a true Surface foldable? (Or maybe not, after seeing how the Duo performed.)

Listen below or subscribe on your podcast app of choice. If you've got suggestions or topics you'd like covered on the show, be sure to email us or drop a note in the comments! And be sure to check out our other podcast, Engadget News!

Topics

  • Microsoft announces Surface Pro 10 and Surface Laptop 6, but you won’t find them in stores – 0:34

  • U.S. Justice Department files antitrust suit aimed at Apple’s “walled garden” ecosystem – 14:13

  • Report: Apple may tap Google for Gemini AI on iPhones – 25:01

  • NVIDIA claims its new Blackwell chip will power through AI workloads 30x faster using 25x less power – 33:07

  • Microsoft hires Deepmind cofounder Mustafa Suleyman to lead AI division – 38:00

  • YouTube reveals new rules for realistic AI video – 43:16

  • Check your Glassdoor account – real names accidentally tied to some anonymous company reviews – 44:31

  • Cherlynn finds the tech angle on the Kate Middleton photo debacle. Look at the metadata! – 47:03

  • Around Engadget – 56:05

  • Pop culture picks – 59:52

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Credits 

Hosts: Cherlynn Low and Devindra Hardawar
Producer: Ben Ellman
Music: Dale North and Terrence O'Brien

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/engadget-podcast-us-tiktok-ban-123025619.html?src=rss

Still Wakes the Deep will pit you against unknown nautical horrors starting on June 18

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Fans of Dear Esther, Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs and Everybody's Gone to the Rapture, make sure to mark June 18 on your calendar. On that day, you'll be able to buy a copy of Still Wakes the Deep for the PC (via Steam and Epic Games Store), the Xbox Series X|S and the PS5, though you can also play it with Game Pass for Xbox and PC. It's the latest first-person narrative horror game from The Chinese Room, the developer behind the aforementioned titles in the same genre. 

Just a warning if the title itself isn't clear enough: Still Wakes the Deep probably isn't for you if you have thalassophobia. It's set in 1975 and puts you in the shoes of an offshore oil rig worker stationed in North Sea waters. A "terrifying, unrelenting foe" has come onboard, and you'll have to fight for your life while helping what remains of your crew survive in the midst of storms and freezing temperatures. "All lines of communication have been severed. All exits are gone," the game's description says, because horror stories are no fun if you can easily call for help. You'll have no access to weapons, as well — you'll have to use your wits and what you find from your environment to face the "unknowable horror" and escape the rig altogether. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/still-wakes-the-deep-will-pit-you-against-unknown-nautical-horrors-starting-on-june-18-121529077.html?src=rss

UK regulators want to investigate Three and Vodafone’s blockbuster merger

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The UK's Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) is concerned that the merger Three and Vodafone announced last year could lead to "substantial lessening of competition" and might conduct an in-depth investigation into the deal. Three years after Virgin Media's merger with O2, Three and Vodafone revealed their intention to enter a joint venture agreement that would knock off a standalone mobile network from consumers' choices in the region. go

Apparently, CMA regulators launched a preliminary investigation into their proposed deal back in January and had identified potential issues that could come with combining two of the four remaining mobile network operators in the UK. Those issues include the possibility of the merger leading to higher prices and lower quality of service, since competition typically helps keep prices low and compels operators to make investments meant to improve their network quality. In addition, the CMA is worried that having fewer networks could affect mobile virtual network operators' ability to negotiate for the best deals possible for their customers.

When the two companies announced the merger in 2023, they said that together, they will "have the scale needed to deliver a best-in-class 5G network" and open up "new opportunities for businesses across the length and breadth of the UK." But CMA regulators say their claims "need more detailed assessment." They've now given the companies five working days to respond to their concerns with "meaningful solutions," otherwise they'll proceed towards conducting a more in-depth investigation. 

In 2015, Three also made an attempt to purchase O2 for £10.25 billion ($12.9 billion), but the CMA and the European Commission blocked the purchase after concluding that it would reduce competition and lead to higher prices. The CMA approved the joint agreement between O2 and Virgin Media, a landline, cable and broadband operator, however, after it found those very same concerns to be unfounded. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/uk-regulators-want-to-investigate-three-and-vodafones-blockbuster-merger-120058606.html?src=rss

The Morning After: Justice Department files antitrust lawsuit against Apple

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The Department of Justice and more than a dozen states have filed a lawsuit against Apple in the US federal court, accusing the company of violating antitrust laws. It says Apple’s hardware and software products are largely inaccessible to competitors, making it difficult for rivals to compete and for customers to switch to other companies’ products.

The lawsuit comes after the European Commission fined Apple €1.8 billion ($1.95 billion) for stopping music-streaming developers from “informing iOS users about alternative and cheaper music subscription services available” outside the App Store. And all this while US lawmakers chase another tech company, TikTok, with a lot of enthusiasm.

The DOJ suggests Apple used its control over iOS to block innovative apps and cloud streaming services from the public. (Look at cloud gaming services, like Google’s now-gone Stadia and Microsoft’s xCloud). The suit also suggests Apple has obstructed rival payment platforms, made it harder for Android messages to appear on iPhones and restricted how competing smartphones integrated with iOS devices.

You could compare Apple’s antitrust suit to Microsoft’s antitrust suit brought against Windows in the late ’90s — even Attorney General Merrick Garland noted those in the suit. But Microsoft truly dominated PC software back then, with over 90 percent of all PCs running some flavor of Windows.

The DOJ says Apple claims 70 percent of all smartphones, which is already less. Step outside the US, which is a bit academic here, and Apple has the same market share as Samsung, with many other phone makers jostling for a percentage point or two. It’s not quite the same grip as Microsoft had on PCs.

— Mat Smith

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Microsoft’s Surface Pro 10 and Surface Laptop 6 are not for you

They’re for serious business people and professionals.

TMA
Microsoft

Two devices conspicuously missing from Microsoft’s Surface and AI event last fall are finally here — and they’re what we expected and a bit surprising. Today, Microsoft unveiled the Surface Pro 10 and Surface Laptop 6, sporting the same designs as the previous models but now with the AI smarts of Intel’s new Core Ultra CPU. Alas, both have the foreboding words “for business” attached to their names, so you’ll only be able to buy them from Microsoft’s website or commercial resellers. But why? We don’t really know.

Continue reading.

DoorDash is testing a drone delivery feature in Virginia

It’s in partnership with Alphabet’s Wing.

DoorDash just announced the launch of a new drone delivery pilot program in Christiansburg, Virginia, with an approximate population of 22,000. The company says orders should arrive in 30 minutes or less, making high-flying drones about as fast as a standard pizza delivery. However, it’s limited to only “eligible items.” And, alas, only items from fast-food chain Wendy’s.

Wendy’s? Wendy’s.

Continue reading.

Reddit is now a publicly traded company

The social media stalwart wants to raise around $631 million in its IPO.

Nearly two decades after its debut, Reddit is now a publicly traded company. It was listed on the New York Stock Exchange as RDDT on Thursday, with mascot Snoo on hand to ring the opening bell. One interesting aspect of Reddit going public is it offered shares at the IPO pricing to long-term users of good standing over the last few weeks. It’s not all good news for Reddit, though. It recently signed a deal with Google, reportedly worth $60 million a year, to train the latter’s AI models on user-generated content. The Federal Trade Commission is looking into that arrangement.

Continue reading.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-morning-after-justice-department-files-antitrust-lawsuit-against-apple-111507688.html?src=rss

You can now pin up to three important messages in WhatsApp chats

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WhatsApp has just made it easier to take note of more important messages from within a conversation. Meta chief Mark Zuckerberg and WhatsApp head Will Cathcart have both announced on their respective WhatsApp channels that you'll now be able to pin up to three messages to the top of a chat, allowing you quick access to any information you want. As TechCrunch notes, you could only pin one message from the time the feature launched in December up until now. But with this update, you may no longer have to save, say, addresses or recipes you get from friends in separate note files. 

The Meta-owned messaging app has also updated its Help Center to reflect the new three-message rule. You can pin not just text messages, but also images and polls, and they'll stay at the top of the chat for 24 hours, 7 days or a whole month. If you pin just one message, it'll show up as the chat banner. But if you pin more, the banner shows how many messages are pinned, with the most recent one appearing first when you tap on it. 

To pin a message, you only have to press on it, select "pin" and choose the duration you want. You can unpin messages the same way if you don't want to see it at the top of your chat anymore before the deadline you set comes up. Back in December WhatsApp also introduced voice messages that self-destruct for those that want an extra layer of security and privacy. And if an unconfirmed report that went out earlier this year is true, then we could expect the service to launch an AirDrop-like file sharing capability in the future. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/you-can-now-pin-up-to-three-important-messages-in-whatsapp-chats-085430104.html?src=rss

Researchers ask Meta to keep CrowdTangle online until after 2024 elections

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The Mozilla Foundation and dozens of other research and advocacy groups are pushing back on Meta’s decisions to shut down its research tool, CrowdTangle, later this year. In an open letter, the group calls on Meta to keep CrowdTangle online until after 2024 elections, saying that it will harm their ability to track election misinformation in a year where “approximately half the world’s population” are slated to vote.

The letter, published by the Mozilla Foundation and signed by 90 groups as well as the former CEO of CrowdTangle, comes one week after Meta confirmed it would shut down the tool in August 2024. “Meta’s decision will effectively prohibit the outside world, including election integrity experts, from seeing what’s happening on Facebook and Instagram — during the biggest election year on record,” the letter writers say.

“This means almost all outside efforts to identify and prevent political disinformation, incitements to violence, and online harassment of women and minorities will be silenced. It’s a direct threat to our ability to safeguard the integrity of elections.” The group asks Meta to keep CrowdTangle online until January 2025, and to “rapidly onboard” election researchers onto its latest tools.

CrowdTangle has long been a source of frustration for Meta. It allows researchers, journalists and other groups to track how content is spreading across Facebook and Instagram. It’s also often cited by journalists in unflattering stories about Facebook and Instagram. For example, Engadget relied on CrowdTangle in an investigation into why Facebook Gaming was overrun with spam and pirated content in 2022. CrowdTangle was also the source for “Facebook’s Top 10,” a (now defunct) Twitter bot that posted daily updates on the most-interacted withFacebook posts containing links. The project, created by a New York Times reporter, regularly showed far-right and conservative pages over-performing, leading Facebook executives to argue the data wasn't an accurate representation of what was actually popular on the platform.

With CrowdTangle set to shut down, Meta is instead highlighting a new program called the Meta Content Library, which provides researchers with new tools to access publicly-accessible data in a streamlined way. The company has said it’s more powerful than what CrowdTangle enabled, but it’s also much more strictly controlled. Researchers from nonprofits and academic institutions must apply, and be approved, in order to access it. And since the vast majority of newsrooms are for-profit entities, most journalists will be automatically ineligible for access (it’s not clear if Meta would allow reporters at nonprofit newsrooms to use the Content Library.)

The other issue, according to Brandon Silverman, CrowdTangle’s former CEO who left Meta in 2021 is that the Meta Content Library isn’t currently powerful enough to be a full CrowdTangle replacement. “There are some areas where the MCL has way more data than CrowdTangle ever had, including reach and comments in particular,” Brandon Silverman, CrowdTangle’s former CEO who left Meta in 2021 wrote in a post on Substack last week. “But there are also some huge gaps in the tool, both for academics and civil society, and simply arguing that it has more data isn’t a claim that regulators or the press should take seriously.”

In a statement on X, Meta spokesperson Andy Stone said that “academic and nonprofit institutions pursuing scientific or public interest research can apply for access” to the Meta Content Library, including nonprofit election experts. “The Meta Content Library is designed to contain more comprehensive data than CrowdTangle.”

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/researchers-ask-meta-to-keep-crowdtangle-online-until-after-2024-elections-211527731.html?src=rss