usernames

Welcome, folks, to Week in Review (WiR), TechCrunch’s regular newsletter covering noteworthy happenings in the tech industry. This week, Google launched two new open large language models, Gemma 2B and Gemma 7B, in its continued bid for generative AI dominance. The company, which describes the LLMs as “inspired by Gemini,” its flagship family of GenAI models, made each available for commercial and research usage. Elsewhere, embattled database company MariaDB revealed that it could be taken…

Image Source : FILE Representational Image Signal, the encrypted messaging platform, is making changes to enhance user privacy. Now, instead of displaying your phone number to everyone, Signal is introducing usernames for chats. This means your phone number will no longer be visible to people who don't have it saved in their contacts. How usernames work You…

There are several instant messaging apps available, such as WhatsApp, Telegram, and others. However, one app that prioritizes user privacy is Signal. And now, Signal is upping the game by adding usernames, so if you don’t like sharing your phone number with people, you’ll love this. However, the feature is in the beta version and is yet to roll out for others. Signal is introducing usernames Signal will let you pick a unique username that you can share with others and initiate conversations. Once the feature rolls out to…

In November 2023, Signal started testing usernames for accounts on Signal in the pre-beta version of the instant messaging service’s Android, iOS, and PC applications. Now, the company has announced that it will make the feature available in the stable version of the Signal app for those platforms in the coming weeks. At the moment, if someone wants to chat with you on Signal, they need to have your mobile number saved on their device, which means that you have to hand out your mobile number to them. With the new feature,…

As a new default, the phone number will no longer be visible to everyone in Signal. Encrypted messaging platform Signal is launching usernames for chats to keep your phone number private.As a new default, the phone number will no longer be visible to everyone in Signal. “People who have your number saved in their phone’s contacts will still see your phone number since they already know it,” the company said in a statement.You can now create a unique username that you can use instead (you will still need…

Instant messaging app Signal is best known for its privacy-related settings, though with phone numbers being the heart of the platform since its inception, there was no way to fully hide your own number until now. Earlier today, Signal announced that you'll soon be able to create a unique username (not to be mistaken with your profile name), which you can share with others via a link or QR code — as opposed to sharing your number. You'll be able to change your unique username as often as you want, but it needs to contain…

Photo: Brent Lewin/Bloomberg (Getty Images)For those who care about digital privacy, few apps are more beloved than Signal. For years, the end-to-end encrypted messenger has offered some of the best privacy protections on the web. Strong encryption, zero subscription fees, and virtually no data collection? What’s not to like? The FTC Just Prescribed a Can of Whoop Ass on Health DataThat said, there’s always been one little flaw with the messenger’s privacy protections: Unless you get pretty creative, Signal forces you…

When using WhatsApp, giving out your phone number is a must. That’s how people identify you on the application. While the company has been able to remain one of the top messaging apps in the world, this is still something that people have a major issue with. However, WhatsApp is still testing the ability for users to create usernames on the platform. The company has been working on this feature for several months. In fact, we were seeing hints at this feature ever since May of last year, and it’s leaving people wondering…

WhatsApp has begun testing a new feature that allows you to hide secret chats on the messaging app. With the latest beta version of WhatsApp for Android, you can set a secret code that will allow you to hide specific chats from the main list. Currently, WhatsApp allows you to swipe down in the chat list to open your hidden chats, but the new feature will hide them from even showing up until the secret code is entered. Meanwhile, WhatsApp is also working on developing a feature that will allow you to set a username for…

Signal is testing public usernames as a privacy feature. This will allow users to hide their phone numbers linked to their accounts while communicating with others.According to a post by Signal's VP of Engineering Jim O'Leary, this feature is being tested in a staging environment, which is separate from the stable Signal encrypted messaging service.“Think of The Staging Environment as a parallel Signal universe: you’ll need to install and run a new build and register for a new account with a phone number (you can use the…