Facebook clears the air on rumors about its new Messenger application

If think you should be annoyed about all those rumors surrounding the new Facebook Messenger app, that’s nothing compared to what the company’s feeling. Not only has its recent and most irritating move to split its mobile version seen a lot of backlash, stories about it using the chat application to spy on users have also popped up.

In case you’re not in the loop, Facebook recently started coaxing people to download a separate tool called Messenger in order to make full use of chat that is already present within the social network’s mobile app. Since the company is trying to go big in the mobile applications’ scene, it made sense for it to try and coerce folks into downloading a standalone option for chats.

You can picture what it must have been like when those who were already feeling harassed by the need to install two separate Facebook apps on their phone, saw user reviews implying that the company was spying on them. Rumors about the software requesting permission to employ the concerned device’s camera and microphone for ‘sinister purposes’ starting snowballing.

This prompted Facebook’s Peter Martinazzi to tell those silly mortals to ‘Get the Facts About Messenger’ right. The post which sounds thoroughly unrepentant about dismantling the wholesome Facebook experience on mobile notes that it does ask leave to run features such as making calls and sending pictures, videos or voice messages.

But it’s only because when you send a photo via the application, it requires permission to turn on your handset’s camera and click the intended image. Martinazzi is assuring worried folks about the camera and microphone being left untouched by Messenger when it’s not running. He also had something to say about splitting theFacebook application.

Never mind that we want to expand our opportunity to serve you ads, was not what Martinazzi said. Instead, he chose to tell everyone about how people usually respond almost 20% faster when they have Facebook Messenger.

Instagram launches time-lapse video app for iPhone

Facebook-owned photo-sharing service Instagram on Tuesday launched an application for capturing time-lapse videos using Apple mobile devices.

The Hyperlapse "app" was designed to let people easily make high-quality time-lapse videos even while moving around with a smartphone, according to Instagram.

Hyperlapse videos can be saved on mobile devices and shared on Instagram.

"From documenting your whole commute in seconds or the preparation of your dinner from start to finish to capturing an entire sunset as it unfolds, we're thrilled about the creative possibilities Hyperlapse unlocks," Instagram said in a blog post.

Hyperlapse applications were made available only for mobile devices powered by Apple software.

Market research firm eMarketer said in a report in March that nearly 35 million people in America accessed Instagram at least once each month as of the end of 2013, a jump of more than 30% from a year earlier.

And the report said nearly 25% of smartphone users in the United States will use Instagram at least once a month by the end of this year -- bringing the total user base to more than 40 million.

Instagram in November began displaying ads as Facebook moved to start making money from the smartphone photo sharing service it bought in a billion-dollar deal in early 2012.

Facebook Messenger App Not a Requirement to Keep on Chatting

The Facebook Messenger app has taken a lot of heat over the last couple of days but it is not a requirement to keep on chatting. In fact, there are many myths surrounding the idea of Facebook forcing smartphone users to download the app after announcing the removal of messenger from the main app.

Privacy concerns are evident. To use the app, users are being asked to allow Facebook to use their cameras and even have access to control the phonebook. For those really concerned, this was also a requirement for the main app if the terms and conditions were looked into carefully.

The main way to get around these privacy issues is to not download the apps at all. But does that not mean that there is no option to communicate with friends or use Facebook? Not at all! For those who prefer the main app and refuse to download the Facebook Messenger app, there is also a way to still use this part of the social media site to keep in touch with friends.

It is still possible to access the messaging system through a desktop. For those on the go, it is also possible to go to the mobile site through an internet app and access everything on the site through there. The change has only happened to the Facebook app for smartphones, and means that the Facebook Messenger app is not a requirement to keep on chatting privately.

There have been calls to get rid of some of the scary requirements. Having access to the microphone and camera could mean that the social media giant is able to record someone without them knowing. That is not the reason for this part of the terms and conditions. It is so that Facebook can let you use the microphone and camera for the video chat function. Without access to these, it would affect the quality and value of the free app.

The access to the phone book and the ability to send text messages is not to communicate with people you do not know. It is not designed to put your safety at risk. This is in place for those who add contact numbers through messages. Facebook is able to contact a user via text to make sure this is correct.

The main app does have access to the phone book too. Facebook users are automatically added to a person’s phone book to make communication much easier. It is possible to have phone numbers of Facebook friends if they share them on the social media site, which can turn out extremely useful when on the go.

This is not a new app that is designed to affect privacy. There are some very good reasons for access to various parts of the phone. There are also ways around the situation by using the mobile site or just refusing access to the social media site completely from a smartphone. The Facebook Messenger app is certainly not a requirement to keep on chatting, but does make chatting on a smartphone much more convenient.