You no longer have to tap an Instagram link in Twitter to see what you'll get. Twitter has started rolling out preview cards for Instagram links in its official apps and the web. If someone shares an Insta post, you'll see a thumbnail of the imagery you can expect when you tap that link. You may know if a photo is like-worthy without leaving your Twitter timeline.

The move puts an end to a long-running feud. Instagram's Twitter photo integration vanished in 2012, and neither social network has had a strong incentive to use preview cards in the years since. Twitter would rather you post photos directly on its service, while Instagram clearly has motivations to keep you using its platform whenever possible. Those issues apparently aren't much of a problem at this stage.

Engadget

People using Zoom's free basic service to video chat with family or co-workers may start seeing ads once their meeting has ended.

Zoom is launching a pilot advertising program that will show ads on "the browser page users see once they end their meeting," Janine Pelosi, the company's chief marketing officer, said Monday in a blog post. People using the service for free will see ads when they join meetings hosted by another person using the basic service.

The test is running in "certain countries," though Zoom didn't get more specific. It's also unclear how long the pilot program will run. Zoom didn't immediately have a response to a request for more details.

Zoom's use skyrocketed during the pandemic as it became the video chat app of choice for millions of people for both work and socializing. The company has added several new features this year -- such as Immersive View and a vanishing pen tool -- as it competes with rival services like Microsoft Teams and Google Meet.

Zoom said introducing ads will allow it to continue to support investment and access to the platform for people using the video chat service for free. Zoom also has subscription plans, starting at $15 a month, that offer more features and expand time-limits for meetings.

"We have carefully and thoughtfully considered how to implement this advertising pilot program, and we have done so with the goal of ensuring user choice," wrote Pelosi.

c|net

Microsoft is bringing Clippy back to Microsoft Teams, after first resurrecting the annoying paperclip two years ago and then killing it off after a few days. A sticker pack will be available in Microsoft Teams soon that includes lots of different versions of the anthropomorphic paperclip.

“Yes, it’s true – Clippy has agreed to come out of retirement!” explains Microsoft, confirming the return of Clippy to Microsoft Teams. “Whether you loved him or hated him, Clippy is back with a Retro Sticker Pack in Teams.”

The new retro sticker pack looks a lot like the same stickers that a team of Microsoft employees created for Teams more than two years ago. Microsoft officials were quick to shut down the project, and a source at the time revealed “brand police” inside the company weren’t happy that Clippy had appeared in Microsoft Teams.

Clippy started off life in Office 97, politely offering hints for using Microsoft’s Office software. People had mixed responses to the Groucho-browed interruptions, and Clippy’s stint as Office assistant came to an end in 2001 with Office XP. Microsoft had been reluctant to embrace Clippy as a meme in its Office or Windows products until earlier this year. Clippy has now returned to replace the standard paperclip emoji in Windows 11, been part of new Teams backgrounds, and now stars in a sticker pack in Microsoft Teams.

The Verge

If you're a regular user of the beloved chat app you should check your device isn't on the list.

WhatsApp is removing support for over 50 phone models in November. This WhatsApp block affects millions of iPhone and Android devices.

The changes came into effect on November 1, 2021. That means if you have one of the affected devices you will need to update your software or invest in a new phone to keep using WhatsApp.

WhatsApp claims phasing out support for older models can help keep the app secure and safe.

Be aware that some of the models can be easily updated to new software that will allow WhatsApp to work. That includes the iPhone 6S.

For Android users, you'll need to be running Android 4.1 or later. That means a host of popular phones will lose access, including the Samsung Galaxy S3 and the Huawei Ascend Mate.

For Apple, you'll lose access on an iPhone 4S or older. That's because iOS 10 can't be installed on the iPhone 4S or earlier.

And if you've never updated your iPhone 6S, iPhone 6S Plus or iPhone SE (2016) – or iPhone 5 and iPhone 6 variants – you'll lose access until you update. That's because they launched on iOS 9 or older.

But you can update all three models to iOS 15 – the latest version – and keep access to WhatsApp.

The Sun

Facebook is renaming itself Meta to reflect the company’s new priority on building a virtual reality world dubbed the metaverse.

“We are going to be metaverse first, not Facebook first,” Mark Zuckerberg said during a speech at the Facebook Connect event on Thursday.

Zuckerberg announced the new brand after talking up his company’s ambitious goal of creating a VR world similar to what’s depicted in the hit sci-fi book Ready Player One, where virtual reality becomes so good it dominates people’s lives, becoming a new way to live, work, and play.

“Our mission remains the same: It’s still about bringing people together. Our apps and our brands, they’re not changing either. And we are still the company that designs technology around people. But now we have a new North Star. To help bring the metaverse to life,” Zuckerberg said.

As a result, Zuckerberg is dropping Facebook as the name for the parent company. “Building our social media apps will always be an important focus for us. But right now, our brand is so tightly linked to one product that it can’t possibly represent everything we’re doing today, let alone in the future,” he added.

To underscore the company’s new focus, Zuckerberg prepared an elaborate one-hour keynote that relied on Hollywood-like special effects to depict how he hopes the metaverse will one day take shape in real life. According to him, the technology can improve to the point where VR experiences will feel close to real life.

PCMag

Microsoft is now rolling out the Windows 11 upgrade to more eligible Windows devices as part of a phased rollout designed to deliver a smooth upgrade experience.

"The availability of Windows 11 has been increased and we are leveraging our latest generation machine learning model to offer the upgrade to an expanded set of eligible devices," Microsoft said in an update to the Windows health dashboard.

"We recommend that you upgrade your devices to Windows 11 to take advantage of the latest features and advanced protections from security threats."

According to previously available information, the company estimates that all eligible Windows 10 devices will be offered the upgrade to the latest version by mid-2022.

Microsoft released Windows 11 worldwide on October 5 and is now rolling it out via Windows Update to new Windows 10 devices and those pre-loaded with Windows 11.

Windows 10 users can upgrade to Windows 11 via Windows Update as long as their computers come with compatible hardware.

To install Windows 11 on eligible devices, they also need to run Windows 10 2004 and later and have installed at least the September 2021 updates.

Bleeping Computer