Digital Trends Live: WhatsApp security flaw, Alexa Guard, and more

By Todd Werkhoven May 14, 2019

On the latest episode of Digital Trends Live, Drew Prindle, DT’s senior editor for features, joins host Greg Nibler to discuss today’s top tech stories. Topics include a WhatsApp flaw that left phones open to spyware, Alexa’s new home security features, Netflix’s foray into gaming, Japan’s bullet train trial, Elon Musk’s Starlink satellite launch, and more.

Later, Nibler welcomes Dr. Julie Albright, digital sociologist at the University of Southern California and author of Left to Their Own Devices: How Digital Natives Are Reshaping the American Dream, to talk about how our devices impact both society and our personal lives.

Heather Corcoran, director of design and technology at Kickstarter, the joins the show to discuss the company’s 10-year anniversary, and how Kickstarter has changed product design, marketing, and strategies for thousands of companies.

Finally, Anita Badejo, executive editor and co-host of Pop-Up Magazine, talks about turning a magazine into a compelling live show that includes storytelling, a band, and digital media.

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Topics

Todd Werkhoven's work can be read at numerous publications and he co-authored a personal finance book called "Zombie…

Social Media

WhatsApp now lets you control who can see your profile

The WhatsApp app icon on a phone with other messaging apps.

WhatsApp is now letting you decide who gets to view certain aspects of your profile.

This week, Meta's popular messaging and calling app announced via a tweet that it is offering new privacy options for its users, including the ability to choose "who from your contact list can see your Profile Photo, About, and Last Seen status."

Mobile

You can finally move your WhatsApp chats from Android to iOS

WhatsApp and Telegram app icons.

Moving WhatsApp chats from Android to iOS has been a painful task for years. But not anymore, as Apple and WhatsApp have made the process a whole lot easier. Starting today, Apple is adding a feature that allows you to move chats between the two platforms. The feature is a part of Apple’s existing “Move to iOS” Android application. It’s worth noting that the feature is currently available for beta users only, so non-beta users might have to wait for a week or two as it's rolled out in phases.

This is a big move since 2 million people use WhatsApp and, until now, there wasn’t an official method to move conversations between Android and iOS. There have been third-party solutions here and there, but nothing officially backed by Apple or WhatsApp. With the feature becoming available, users will be able to move their chats swiftly from Android to iOS.

Mobile

WhatsApp to end support for older iPhones in coming months

WhatsApp messaging app icon.

If you’re still rocking a decade-old iPhone 5 or 5C and use WhatsApp, you should be aware that the Facebook-owned company will soon be ending support for those devices.

A WhatsApp notification spotted by WhatsApp specialist site WABetaInfo reveals that the company will end support for iOS 10 and iOS 11 in the fall. The iPhone 5 and 5C are unable to deploy iOS 12 and later, which means WhatsApp on those two handsets will stop receiving the latest updates for security, features, and general functionality.