Facebook has announced new features for its Messenger app, including a quick reply bar, QR codes, and new chat themes.
The new quick reply bar can be found in the Messenger media viewer, and aims to make it easier to chat about media posted by friends without needing to go back to the main chat thread.
Users can tap on a photo or video and send a response via the quick reply bar, which lives at the bottom of the screen, then swipe up to exit the fullscreen media viewer to return to the main chat thread.
Three new chat themes, which are available in both Messenger and Instagram in chat settings, let users add new twists to their chat thread backgrounds. The themes include Olivia Rodrdigo, World Oceans Day, and F9: Fast and Furious.
In addition, Facebook is adding QR codes and payment links for use with Facebook Pay, allowing users to make payments even if they're not on Facebook.
To access a personal QR code and payment link, go to Messenger settings and tap "Facebook Pay." Users can share the payment link or allow friends to scan the QR code to send or request money.
The new features are rolling out now to Facebook Messenger, which is a free download for iPhone and iPad from the App Store. [Direct Link]
Saturday October 18, 2025 11:00 am PDT by Joe Rossignol
iOS 26 was released last month, but the software train never stops, and iOS 26.1 beta testing is already underway. So far, iOS 26.1 makes both Apple Intelligence and Live Translation on compatible AirPods available in additional languages, and it includes some other minor changes across the Apple Music, Calendar, Photos, Clock, and Safari apps.
More features and changes will follow in future ...
Apple plans to cut production of the iPhone Air amid underwhelming sales performance, Japan's Mizuho Securities believes (via The Elec).
The Japanese investment banking and securities firm claims that the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are seeing higher sales than their predecessors during the same period last year, while the standard iPhone 17 is a major success, performing...
Friday October 17, 2025 7:35 am PDT by Joe Rossignol
Apple's software engineers continue to internally test iOS 26.0.2, according to MacRumors logs, which have been a reliable indicator of upcoming iOS versions.
iOS 26.0.2 will be a minor update that addresses bugs and/or security vulnerabilities, but we do not know any specific details yet.
The update will likely be released by the end of next week.
Last month, Apple released iOS 26.0.1,...
Monday October 20, 2025 10:57 am PDT by Juli Clover
With the fourth betas of iOS 26.1, iPadOS 26.1, and macOS 26.1, Apple has introduced a new setting that's designed to allow users to customize the look of Liquid Glass.
The toggle lets users select from a clear look for Liquid Glass, or a tinted look. Clear is the current Liquid Glass design, which is more transparent and shows the background underneath buttons, bars, and menus, while tinted ...
Sunday October 19, 2025 7:39 am PDT by Joe Rossignol
iOS 26.4 is expected to introduce a revamped version of Siri powered by Apple Intelligence, but not everyone is satisfied with how well it works.
In his Power On newsletter today, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said some of Apple's software engineers have "concerns" about the overhauled Siri's performance. However, he did not provide any specific details about the shortcomings.
iOS 26.4 will...
Saturday October 18, 2025 10:57 am PDT by Joe Rossignol
While the new iPad Pro's headline feature is the M5 chip, the device has some other changes, including N1 and C1X chips, faster storage speeds, and more.
With the M5 chip, the new iPad Pro has up to a 20% faster CPU and up to a 40% faster GPU compared to the previous model with the M4 chip, according to Geekbench 6 results. Keep in mind that 256GB and 512GB configurations have a 9-core CPU,...
Thursday October 16, 2025 9:13 am PDT by Joe Rossignol
Apple on Wednesday updated the 14-inch MacBook Pro, iPad Pro, and Vision Pro with its next-generation M5 chip, but previous rumors have indicated that the company still plans to announce at least a few additional products before the end of the year.
The following Apple products have at one point been rumored to be updated in 2025, although it is unclear if the timeframe for any of them has...
Thursday October 16, 2025 3:57 pm PDT by Juli Clover
Apple plans to launch MacBook Air models equipped with the new M5 chip in spring 2026, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Apple is also working on M5 Pro and M5 Max MacBook Pro models that will come early in the year.
Neither the MacBook Pro models nor the MacBook Air models are expected to get design changes, with Apple focusing on simple chip upgrades. In the case of the MacBook Pro, a m...
Thursday October 16, 2025 8:31 am PDT by Joe Rossignol
Apple on Wednesday updated the 14-inch MacBook Pro base model with an M5 chip, and there are two key storage-related upgrades beyond that chip bump.
First, Apple says the new 14-inch MacBook Pro offers up to 2× faster SSD performance than the equivalent previous-generation model, so read and write speeds should get a significant boost. Apple says it is using "the latest storage technology," ...
Never forget the amount of data Facebook Messenger collects:
[HEADING=1]Data Linked to You[/HEADING] The following data, which may be collected and linked to your identity, may be used for the following purposes:
[HEADING=2]Third-Party Advertising[/HEADING]
[HEADING=3]Purchases[/HEADING]
* Purchase History
[HEADING=3]Financial Info[/HEADING]
* Other Financial Info
[HEADING=3]Location[/HEADING]
* Precise Location * Coarse Location
[HEADING=3]Contact Info[/HEADING]
* Physical Address * Email Address * Name * Phone Number * Other User Contact Info
[HEADING=3]Contacts[/HEADING]
* Contacts
[HEADING=3]User Content[/HEADING]
* Photos or Videos * Gameplay Content * Other User Content
[HEADING=3]Search History[/HEADING]
* Search History
[HEADING=3]Browsing History[/HEADING]
* Browsing History
[HEADING=3]Identifiers[/HEADING]
* User ID * Device ID
[HEADING=3]Usage Data[/HEADING]
* Product Interaction * Advertising Data * Other Usage Data
[HEADING=3]Diagnostics[/HEADING]
* Crash Data * Performance Data * Other Diagnostic Data
[HEADING=3]Other Data[/HEADING]
* Other Data Types
[HEADING=2]Developer’s Advertising or Marketing[/HEADING]
[HEADING=3]Purchases[/HEADING]
* Purchase History
[HEADING=3]Financial Info[/HEADING]
* Other Financial Info
[HEADING=3]Location[/HEADING]
* Precise Location * Coarse Location
[HEADING=3]Contact Info[/HEADING]
* Physical Address * Email Address * Name * Phone Number * Other User Contact Info
[HEADING=3]Contacts[/HEADING]
* Contacts
[HEADING=3]User Content[/HEADING]
* Photos or Videos * Gameplay Content * Other User Content
[HEADING=3]Search History[/HEADING]
* Search History
[HEADING=3]Browsing History[/HEADING]
* Browsing History
[HEADING=3]Identifiers[/HEADING]
* User ID * Device ID
[HEADING=3]Usage Data[/HEADING]
* Product Interaction * Advertising Data * Other Usage Data
[HEADING=3]Diagnostics[/HEADING]
* Crash Data * Performance Data * Other Diagnostic Data
[HEADING=3]Other Data[/HEADING]
* Other Data Types
[HEADING=2]Analytics[/HEADING]
[HEADING=3]Health & Fitness[/HEADING]
* Health * Fitness
[HEADING=3]Purchases[/HEADING]
* Purchase History
[HEADING=3]Financial Info[/HEADING]
* Payment Info * Other Financial Info
[HEADING=3]Location[/HEADING]
* Precise Location * Coarse Location
[HEADING=3]Contact Info[/HEADING]
* Physical Address * Email Address * Name * Phone Number * Other User Contact Info
[HEADING=3]Contacts[/HEADING]
* Contacts
[HEADING=3]User Content[/HEADING]
* Photos or Videos * Audio Data * Gameplay Content * Customer Support * Other User Content
[HEADING=3]Search History[/HEADING]
* Search History
[HEADING=3]Browsing History[/HEADING]
* Browsing History
[HEADING=3]Identifiers[/HEADING]
* User ID * Device ID
[HEADING=3]Usage Data[/HEADING]
* Product Interaction * Advertising Data * Other Usage Data
[HEADING=3]Sensitive Info[/HEADING]
* Sensitive Info
[HEADING=3]Diagnostics[/HEADING]
* Crash Data * Performance Data * Other Diagnostic Data
[HEADING=3]Other Data[/HEADING]
* Other Data Types
[HEADING=2]Product Personalization[/HEADING]
[HEADING=3]Purchases[/HEADING]
* Purchase History
[HEADING=3]Financial Info[/HEADING]
* Other Financial Info
[HEADING=3]Location[/HEADING]
* Precise Location * Coarse Location
[HEADING=3]Contact Info[/HEADING]
* Physical Address * Email Address * Name * Phone Number * Other User Contact Info
[HEADING=3]Contacts[/HEADING]
* Contacts
[HEADING=3]User Content[/HEADING]
* Photos or Videos * Gameplay Content * Other User Content
[HEADING=3]Search History[/HEADING]
* Search History
[HEADING=3]Browsing History[/HEADING]
* Browsing History
[HEADING=3]Identifiers[/HEADING]
* User ID * Device ID
[HEADING=3]Usage Data[/HEADING]
* Product Interaction * Advertising Data * Other Usage Data
[HEADING=3]Sensitive Info[/HEADING]
* Sensitive Info
[HEADING=3]Diagnostics[/HEADING]
* Crash Data * Performance Data * Other Diagnostic Data
[HEADING=3]Other Data[/HEADING]
* Other Data Types
[HEADING=2]App Functionality[/HEADING]
[HEADING=3]Health & Fitness[/HEADING]
* Health * Fitness
[HEADING=3]Purchases[/HEADING]
* Purchase History
[HEADING=3]Financial Info[/HEADING]
* Payment Info * Credit Info * Other Financial Info
[HEADING=3]Location[/HEADING]
* Precise Location * Coarse Location
[HEADING=3]Contact Info[/HEADING]
* Physical Address * Email Address * Name * Phone Number * Other User Contact Info
[HEADING=3]Contacts[/HEADING]
* Contacts
[HEADING=3]User Content[/HEADING]
* Emails or Text Messages * Photos or Videos * Audio Data * Gameplay Content * Customer Support * Other User Content
[HEADING=3]Search History[/HEADING]
* Search History
[HEADING=3]Browsing History[/HEADING]
* Browsing History
[HEADING=3]Identifiers[/HEADING]
* User ID * Device ID
[HEADING=3]Usage Data[/HEADING]
* Product Interaction * Advertising Data * Other Usage Data
[HEADING=3]Sensitive Info[/HEADING]
* Sensitive Info
[HEADING=3]Diagnostics[/HEADING]
* Crash Data * Performance Data * Other Diagnostic Data
[HEADING=3]Other Data[/HEADING]
* Other Data Types
[HEADING=2]Other Purposes[/HEADING]
[HEADING=3]Purchases[/HEADING]
* Purchase History
[HEADING=3]Financial Info[/HEADING]
* Other Financial Info
[HEADING=3]Location[/HEADING]
* Precise Location * Coarse Location
[HEADING=3]Contact Info[/HEADING]
* Physical Address * Email Address * Name * Phone Number * Other User Contact Info
[HEADING=3]Contacts[/HEADING]
* Contacts
[HEADING=3]User Content[/HEADING]
* Photos or Videos * Gameplay Content * Customer Support * Other User Content
[HEADING=3]Search History[/HEADING]
* Search History
[HEADING=3]Browsing History[/HEADING]
* Browsing History
[HEADING=3]Identifiers[/HEADING]
* User ID * Device ID
[HEADING=3]Usage Data[/HEADING]
* Product Interaction * Advertising Data * Other Usage Data
[HEADING=3]Diagnostics[/HEADING]
* Crash Data * Performance Data * Other Diagnostic Data
Never forget the amount of data Facebook Messenger collects:
[HEADING=1]Data Linked to You[/HEADING] The following data, which may be collected and linked to your identity, may be used for the following purposes:
[HEADING=2]Third-Party Advertising[/HEADING]
[HEADING=3]Purchases[/HEADING]
* Purchase History
[HEADING=3]Financial Info[/HEADING]
* Other Financial Info
[HEADING=3]Location[/HEADING]
* Precise Location * Coarse Location
[HEADING=3]Contact Info[/HEADING]
* Physical Address * Email Address * Name * Phone Number * Other User Contact Info
[HEADING=3]Contacts[/HEADING]
* Contacts
[HEADING=3]User Content[/HEADING]
* Photos or Videos * Gameplay Content * Other User Content
[HEADING=3]Search History[/HEADING]
* Search History
[HEADING=3]Browsing History[/HEADING]
* Browsing History
[HEADING=3]Identifiers[/HEADING]
* User ID * Device ID
[HEADING=3]Usage Data[/HEADING]
* Product Interaction * Advertising Data * Other Usage Data
[HEADING=3]Diagnostics[/HEADING]
* Crash Data * Performance Data * Other Diagnostic Data
[HEADING=3]Other Data[/HEADING]
* Other Data Types
[HEADING=2]Developer’s Advertising or Marketing[/HEADING]
[HEADING=3]Purchases[/HEADING]
* Purchase History
[HEADING=3]Financial Info[/HEADING]
* Other Financial Info
[HEADING=3]Location[/HEADING]
* Precise Location * Coarse Location
[HEADING=3]Contact Info[/HEADING]
* Physical Address * Email Address * Name * Phone Number * Other User Contact Info
[HEADING=3]Contacts[/HEADING]
* Contacts
[HEADING=3]User Content[/HEADING]
* Photos or Videos * Gameplay Content * Other User Content
[HEADING=3]Search History[/HEADING]
* Search History
[HEADING=3]Browsing History[/HEADING]
* Browsing History
[HEADING=3]Identifiers[/HEADING]
* User ID * Device ID
[HEADING=3]Usage Data[/HEADING]
* Product Interaction * Advertising Data * Other Usage Data
[HEADING=3]Diagnostics[/HEADING]
* Crash Data * Performance Data * Other Diagnostic Data
[HEADING=3]Other Data[/HEADING]
* Other Data Types
[HEADING=2]Analytics[/HEADING]
[HEADING=3]Health & Fitness[/HEADING]
* Health * Fitness
[HEADING=3]Purchases[/HEADING]
* Purchase History
[HEADING=3]Financial Info[/HEADING]
* Payment Info * Other Financial Info
[HEADING=3]Location[/HEADING]
* Precise Location * Coarse Location
[HEADING=3]Contact Info[/HEADING]
* Physical Address * Email Address * Name * Phone Number * Other User Contact Info
[HEADING=3]Contacts[/HEADING]
* Contacts
[HEADING=3]User Content[/HEADING]
* Photos or Videos * Audio Data * Gameplay Content * Customer Support * Other User Content
[HEADING=3]Search History[/HEADING]
* Search History
[HEADING=3]Browsing History[/HEADING]
* Browsing History
[HEADING=3]Identifiers[/HEADING]
* User ID * Device ID
[HEADING=3]Usage Data[/HEADING]
* Product Interaction * Advertising Data * Other Usage Data
[HEADING=3]Sensitive Info[/HEADING]
* Sensitive Info
[HEADING=3]Diagnostics[/HEADING]
* Crash Data * Performance Data * Other Diagnostic Data
[HEADING=3]Other Data[/HEADING]
* Other Data Types
[HEADING=2]Product Personalization[/HEADING]
[HEADING=3]Purchases[/HEADING]
* Purchase History
[HEADING=3]Financial Info[/HEADING]
* Other Financial Info
[HEADING=3]Location[/HEADING]
* Precise Location * Coarse Location
[HEADING=3]Contact Info[/HEADING]
* Physical Address * Email Address * Name * Phone Number * Other User Contact Info
[HEADING=3]Contacts[/HEADING]
* Contacts
[HEADING=3]User Content[/HEADING]
* Photos or Videos * Gameplay Content * Other User Content
[HEADING=3]Search History[/HEADING]
* Search History
[HEADING=3]Browsing History[/HEADING]
* Browsing History
[HEADING=3]Identifiers[/HEADING]
* User ID * Device ID
[HEADING=3]Usage Data[/HEADING]
* Product Interaction * Advertising Data * Other Usage Data
[HEADING=3]Sensitive Info[/HEADING]
* Sensitive Info
[HEADING=3]Diagnostics[/HEADING]
* Crash Data * Performance Data * Other Diagnostic Data
[HEADING=3]Other Data[/HEADING]
* Other Data Types
[HEADING=2]App Functionality[/HEADING]
[HEADING=3]Health & Fitness[/HEADING]
* Health * Fitness
[HEADING=3]Purchases[/HEADING]
* Purchase History
[HEADING=3]Financial Info[/HEADING]
* Payment Info * Credit Info * Other Financial Info
[HEADING=3]Location[/HEADING]
* Precise Location * Coarse Location
[HEADING=3]Contact Info[/HEADING]
* Physical Address * Email Address * Name * Phone Number * Other User Contact Info
[HEADING=3]Contacts[/HEADING]
* Contacts
[HEADING=3]User Content[/HEADING]
* Emails or Text Messages * Photos or Videos * Audio Data * Gameplay Content * Customer Support * Other User Content
[HEADING=3]Search History[/HEADING]
* Search History
[HEADING=3]Browsing History[/HEADING]
* Browsing History
[HEADING=3]Identifiers[/HEADING]
* User ID * Device ID
[HEADING=3]Usage Data[/HEADING]
* Product Interaction * Advertising Data * Other Usage Data
[HEADING=3]Sensitive Info[/HEADING]
* Sensitive Info
[HEADING=3]Diagnostics[/HEADING]
* Crash Data * Performance Data * Other Diagnostic Data
[HEADING=3]Other Data[/HEADING]
* Other Data Types
[HEADING=2]Other Purposes[/HEADING]
[HEADING=3]Purchases[/HEADING]
* Purchase History
[HEADING=3]Financial Info[/HEADING]
* Other Financial Info
[HEADING=3]Location[/HEADING]
* Precise Location * Coarse Location
[HEADING=3]Contact Info[/HEADING]
* Physical Address * Email Address * Name * Phone Number * Other User Contact Info
[HEADING=3]Contacts[/HEADING]
* Contacts
[HEADING=3]User Content[/HEADING]
* Photos or Videos * Gameplay Content * Customer Support * Other User Content
[HEADING=3]Search History[/HEADING]
* Search History
[HEADING=3]Browsing History[/HEADING]
* Browsing History
[HEADING=3]Identifiers[/HEADING]
* User ID * Device ID
[HEADING=3]Usage Data[/HEADING]
* Product Interaction * Advertising Data * Other Usage Data
[HEADING=3]Diagnostics[/HEADING]
* Crash Data * Performance Data * Other Diagnostic Data
[HEADING=3]Other Data[/HEADING]
* Other Data Types
great information dump (if someone has a browser script blocker, they can see Facebook [and Google] cross scripting like crazy from A LOT of sites someone visit).
People should know this — then make their own decisions. And for those who know but aren’t worried about it? That’s their choice. But far too many tech un-savvy FB users don’t even slightly grasp the scale of the info they are gathering on them. Final note (the obligatory message to infuriate the A-haters): Apple is the choice by 10 country miles if privacy security is important to a user.
