Google has released a new Chrome extension that uses special URLs to direct users to a specific part of a webpage.
You probably share links with people all the time in emails and on social media, but the URLs you share are limited; they only let you direct someone to a particular page online. If you're trying to point out a specific section of a page, this means the recipient has to search high and low for the relevant text.
Or at least this used to be the case. Google has come up with a solution that makes it possible direct someone to the precisely section of a website you want them to see. With a new browser extension it is possible to create links to a specific piece of text on a page and have the text highlighted.
Google doesn't release a tremendous number of browser extensions, so you know that when it does release one, it's probably going to be something pretty special. And this is certainly the case with the new Link to Text Fragment extension. Since it comes from Google, it comes as no surprise that the extension is only available for Chrome (as well as other Chromium-based browsers).
The Link to Text Fragment extension is available in the Chrome Web Store, and it makes use of the URL standard called Text Fragments which has been support by Chrome since version 80. Once installed, you can use it to quickly and easily create links that point to a specific paragraph, sentence or phrase website.
Jump right to it
With the extension installed, you can create links that jump straight to the meat of an article – perfect if you want to highlight a particular quote or other feature of a web page. To create a link, just highlight a few words or a sentences, right click and select the 'Copy link to select text' option. The special link will be copied to your clipboard.
When you paste the link into an email, message or an app, you'll see that it's quite lengthy. Check out this link to a phrase in our news story about Google Meet in Gmail, for instance:
While you can only create these special links in the desktop version of Chrome, they are supported by Chrome 80 and above on all platforms – so the links you create can be used on a smartphone.
Google has made the extension open source, so you can check it out on GitHub.
Remote working and remote meetings have been steadily becoming more popular in recent years, but the coronavirus pandemic has made them even more commonplace. As such, the likes of Zoom, Google Meet and so on have become almost household names.
Google is well aware that Google Meet is used not only for business purposes, but also for friends and family to keep in touch, particularly during times of crisis and periods of isolation. As such the company has decided to make it easier for mobile users to join or start meetings.
The improved access to Google Meet will come through integration with Gmail on mobile device. Soon, Android and iOS users will see a new Google Meet tab at the bottom of their inboxes which will give easy access to meetings – and there's no need to have the Google Meet App installed.
Clicking this tab will show users all of the meetings that they have scheduled in Google Calendar, and allow them to join those meetings with a single tap. It will also be possible to start an new meeting instantly, or to schedule a meeting for a later time.
Let's meet up
The integration of Meet with Gmail comes just weeks after Google took the decision to make the tool available to everyone free of charge, making it a viable alternative to the likes of Zoom and Microsoft Teams. Google has not revealed precisely when the Google Meet tab will appear for mobile users beyond saying it will happen "in the coming weeks".
Of course, it is worth remembering that not everyone wants to use Google Meet and therefore there will be some people who don't really appreciated the arrival of a dedicated tab for the service in Gmail. For these folk, there is good news – it will be possible to disable it in the settings for the Gmail app if you prefer.
WhatsApp's long-awaited dark mode is getting a few adjustments, making it easier to read your messages at night.
An ever-growing number of apps are adding support for dark mode, and for a variety of reasons. Many people find the dark tones are easier on the eye, particularly at night, and there are also battery saving considerations.
WhatsApp is just one of many tools to feature a dark mode, and a delve into the latest beta version of the chat app reveals some of the new features that are in the pipeline. One thing that has been discovered is that alternative colours for messages in dark mode appear to be in development.
WABetaInfo has discovered that the beta version of the iOS edition of the app includes differently colored chat bubbles when dark mode is activated.
The site found that the iPhone version of the WhatsApp beta features chat bubbles that are a lighter color. At the moment it is still the same colours – gray and green – that are used a chat bubble background, but there is a gentler, lighter hue.
Pick a color
Nothing has been said officially about the change, and it's not clear when the new colors might be rolled out to everyone – or, indeed, if they definitely will. What's also not clear is why the different tones have been chosen. It is possible that it is related to accessibility settings, or it could be a way to improve overall legibility.
It's also possible that WhatsApp will be introducing more colors, giving users a choice of themes for their messages. Should the new colors roll out to iOS users, it is safe to assume that they will also be made available in the Android version of the app, but we'll just have to wait to find out for certain.
Google is making it easier to cover your tracks in Chrome by preventing certain URLs appearing automatically in the browser's address bar.
When using a web browser people have numerous privacy concerns, many of which relate to the amount of data collected and stored about online activity. As part of a drive to give users more control over privacy, Google has been adding various tools and features to Chrome.
One of these new options is a new way to keep some of your search and browsing history secret from other people who may have access to your computer.
You've probably noticed that when you type in Chrome's address bar – or Omnibox as Google likes to call it – you'll see a series of suggestions in a list that pops up. This list of suggestions is populated with links to sites you have visited and searches you have performed, and the thinking is that it gives you a quick way to revisit sites or repeat searches.
But the feature also gives away a lot about how you have been using your computer, and it is visible to anyone else who uses your computer, or who happens to be looking at your screen. While it is possible to wipe our your entire browsing and search history to keep your activity secret, this is a little extreme and also results in helpful links being removed.
Keep it private
It has long been possible – although not known by everyone – to use the arrow keys to highlight a suggestion and then press [Shift]+[Delete] to remove it. Now Google has made things even easier, and rather more obvious.
Now you can use your mouse to remove unwanted suggestions from the list. Just hover the mouse cursor over an entry you would like to remove and click the little x button that appears to the right. It's as simple as that! Of course, you can still use the old keyboard shortcut if you like, but many people will find using their mouse a whole lot easier.
Like many software developers, Google has slowly but surely been adding dark mode options to its apps and services. Given the company is best known for its search business, it is something of a surprise that the Google Search app has taken so long to gain a dark mode.
But now the option is rolling out to iOS and Android users, giving you the option of enjoying darker tones that are easier on the eyes and batteries.
Google has been beta testing dark mode in its search app for a little while, and now the company has decided that it is ready to be unleashed on the public.
With the rollout having just started, you may not see the darker tones just yet – but it shouldn't take more than a few days to land on your phone if you don't have it immediately. To enjoy the darker look, you just need to be running iOS 12 or later, or Android 10.
Black as night
If you have dark mode enabled on a system-wide basis, the Google Search app should detect this and automatically switch to dark mode, but you can also take control of things manually.
You may prefer to disable dark mode in the app, or you can enable it manually if you don’t have your mobile operating system in dark mode as a whole. To do this, just tap the 'More' button in Google Search, open 'Settings' and head to the 'General' section. Here you can change the theme between 'Dark', 'Light' or 'System Default'.
One of the most important features of any phone is how long the battery lasts, and it can be surprising what impacts upon longevity. Over the coming month, Google is going to test changes in the mobile version of Chrome that will not only help to improve battery life, but should also help to reduce data usage.
The changes come after the company has spent time improving Chrome users' online experiences by blocking ads that are considered harmful or annoying. Next in the company's crosshairs are ads that "consume a disproportionate share of device resources".
As part of its audits of ads, Google says that it detected a small percentage that were secretly using network data and draining battery power. Citing examples such as cryptominers, the company says that these types of ads are badly programmed, and a lack of optimisation leads to a poor experience for users.
To help counter this, Google says it is going to place limits on the resources ads are allowed to use. Chrome will restrict how much battery life, how much CPU power, and how much network data any ads is able to make use of. Once this limit is reached, Chrome will simply unload the offending ad.
Blocking bad ads
Google is setting pretty strict limits on what resources ads are able to use – just 4MB of network data or 15 seconds of CPU usage in any 30 second period, or 60 seconds of total CPU usage. Google's analysis shows that a mere 0.3 percent of ads currently exceed these limits, the impact they have is pretty huge. This tiny percentage of ads accounts for 28 percent of all ad CPU usage and 27 percent of network data by ads. This is precisely why Google is so keen to take action.
The company says that it will start its experiments in blocking "heavy" ads over the next several months. The aim is to include the resource-saving feature in the stable version of Chrome that will be released towards the end of August, so before summer is out you may start to see an improvement in your phone's battery life and a decrease in data usage.
It's been in testing for quite some time now, but Facebook is now making its redesigned site available to everyone around the world. There are some pretty big changes to be found on the new www.facebook.com, including a simplified look and the all-important dark mode.
Facebook has been testing the site with small groups of users since it was first revealed at its F8 conference last year. Since the beginning of this year, the company has been gradually giving access to more and more people, and now the global release is underway.
Facebook has taken strong cues from the work it has done with its mobile apps, and the redesigned site has a much cleaner, less cluttered feel to it. As well as adding dark mode to reduce glare and eye-strain, navigation has been dramatically simplified, and it is now easier to manage pages, groups and events.
There's much more empty space in the redesigned site, and text is large and easier to read. Facebook also says that page load times have been improved.
Check out the video below to see what you have to look forward to:
Flip the switch
To access the new look site, you'll just have to sit back and wait. While the redesign has now officially launched for everyone, it will take a little while for it to roll out completely. When the new look hits your account, you'll be greeted by a message that says: 'Welcome to a fresh simpler Facebook'.
One of the first things you'll probably want to try out is dark mode. Just click the arrow button to the upper right of the screen and enable the dark mode toggle switch:
If you decide you're not quite ready for the new-look Facebook, you can – at least for the time being – revert to the old design. Click the arrow button to the upper right of the screen and select 'Switch to classic Facebook' – but it's well worth sticking with the redesigned site so you can benefit from all of the changes and improvements that have been made.
Google has just added a new security option to the Google Drive app for iOS and iPadOS. The new Privacy Screen feature lets iPhone and iPad secure their files using the Face ID and Touch ID options offered by their devices.
With Privacy Screen enabled, access to the files stored in your cloud account will only be possible by unlocking with your face or fingerprint. Google says that it is a way to "protect your sensitive files from prying eyes", but it's not perfect.
When you configure the Privacy Screen feature, Google warns that it "may not protect" certain things. This includes notification, certain Siri functionality, files shared with the Files app, and photos shared with the Photos app. However, it does add an extra layer of protection, which is to be welcomed.
There aren't many options to configure for Privacy Screen, but your can choose how quickly the lock kicks in. The most secure – and possibly most annoying option – is to have the lock activated as soon as you switch to another app.
Lock it up
However, it's possible to delay the lock by 10 seconds, a minute, or 10 minutes to allow you slightly more flexibility. This will make life rather less annoying if you find that you are constantly switching between apps, and you will be able to choose the setting that best suits you.
To take advantage of the Privacy Screen secure feature, you need to be running at least version 4.2020.18204 of Google Drive on your iPhone or iPad. You should check for updates to get this version, or grab it directly from the App Store.
With the right file compression software, sharing and archiving files is easy. The ever-growing size of hard drives means the need to reduce file sizes when storing data has been reduced, but SDDs still cost significantly more per gigabyte than traditional spinning hard drives, so compressing files can still be very useful.
Compression is also very helpful when you want to send several files via email and keep them within the attachment size limit, share them via a service like WeTransfer, or send them to a remote cloud server.
That's not all – in addition to reducing file sizes, compression software offers plenty of extra features to take into consideration. Perhaps the best feature of compression tools is the ability to encrypt files and protect them with a password – something you'll find in all the tools we've picked here.
The most commonly used compression format is ZIP, but there are various other available. You never know which type you may encounter when downloading and sharing files, so it makes sense to have a program on hand that can handle more than one type. Here we take a look at a selection of the best tools, taking into account ones that offer the highest compression rates, and those that support the largest number of file types.
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One of the most famous names in the world of software utilities, WinZip is still going strong after nearly 30 years, and is still one of the best file compression tools around.
However, at around $35 for the standard version, you may wonder if you can justify spending money on a compression tool when there are so many free alternatives available. Ultimately it depends on your priorities, but you do get a lot of extras for your money.
In addition to support for a wide range of archive formats (including ZIP, ZIPX, RAR (extraction only), 7z, TAR, GZIP, VHD and XZ), WinZip offers integration with a number of programs including Office for easy zipping as you work.
Other bonus features include the splitting of large zip files to fit different media, advanced file sharing options, cloud support and an advanced zip management system that rivals Windows Explorer. The interface adapts to suit mouse and keyboard setups or touchscreen devices, and there are backup and security options thrown in to protect your files.
WinZip is an incredibly useful tool to have in your software arsenal, and it's flexible enough to work in the way that suits you best – you can create and extract via the program interface, or using the program window.
As famous as WinZip in certain circles, WinRAR created a name for itself thanks to its proprietary RAR format, which offers incredible levels of compression. Most compression programs can extract RAR archives, but only WinRAR can (officially) create them. This exclusivity comes at a price of around $30 dollars.
Of course, WinRAR can be used to compress files into many other compressed formats, and the program benefits from the fact that it is available for just about every platform imaginable.
The interface is not the most pleasant to look at, and even if you opt to use the Explorer context menu to create or extract archives, beginners may well feel overwhelmed by the number of options and settings on display. That said, there is a wizard mode that take the hard work out of most tasks.
WinRAR's killer feature is undoubtedly full RAR support, but its encryption, speed, self-extracting archive creation and themes (if you're into that sort of thing!) mean it's well worth taking a look at the trial version to see if this is the compression tool for you.
The first free option in this roundup, 7-Zip is another program with an excellent reputation. It can handle pretty much any compressed file format you care to throw at it.
A real stalwart of the compression world, 7-Zip boasts its own compressed file format, 7z. This not only lets you compress truly gigantic files (up to 16 billion gigabytes, according to its developers), but also has an incredibly high compression rate. However, this does mean making speed sacrifices; 7z can use 'solid compression' to achieve tiny file sizes, but it can be very, very slow.
7-Zip's interface is far from attractive, and the number of context menu entries the program creates can be a little unnerving. Thankfully, if you venture into Options within the program, you'll find that it's easy enough to get rid of the options you don't need.
The look of this file compression software won't be to everyone's taste, but if you can get past this, you have a rock-steady and reliable utility on your hands.
It might not be the first name that comes to mind when you think of file compression software, but Zip Archiver has a very healthy following thanks to its thoughtfully designed interface, excellent format support, and because it offers all this for free.
What makes this program interesting is its incredible ease of use. Even someone who is unfamiliar with the idea of file compression and decompression should find it easy to achieve the results they want.
Creating and extracting archives to one of a range of formats is reduced to a simple drag and drop process, and there's cloud support as a handy extra. What this means is that you can, in one quick and easy operation, create a compressed file, upload it to Dropbox, OneDrive, Google Drive or Yandex Disk and have a shareable link created automatically.
If you're compressing files to share them, this is a brilliant option. If you're not a fan of the drag-and-drop interface, you can use the Windows context menu to take care of everything – the choice is yours.
There are dozens of compressed file formats, but Hamster Zip Archiver can handle them all. The only drawback is that Hamster Zip Archiver is only available for Windows.
Another free compression program, PeaZip (for Windows and Linux) is simple looking but surprisingly powerful, and offers plenty of security options
In addition to regular compression and decompression options, you can also use PeaZip to convert archives between formats. For the security conscious, this file compression software also offers AES256-based encryption and two-factor authentication, as well as a password manager.
As with the other compression tools in this roundup, you can make use of the main program interface, or fall back in love with the right mouse button and use the context menu.
PeaZip is one compression tool that can, sort of, create – as well as extract – RAR files. If you have WinRAR installed (be it the full version or the trial) PeaZip can make use of the software to gain full RAR support. Although no warning message will be displayed, you're not really supposed to use WinRAR after the end of the trial period, either on its own or through PeaZip.
It's not very long since we first heard rumours that WhatsApp was on the verge of upping its game to better compete with the likes of Zoom and Skype. Something these two big-name video conferencing tools have in their favour is the number of people they allow to take part in chats.
WhatsApp has long only offered support for up to four chat participants, but just last week we learned of hints in app code suggesting that this was about to be increased, at least in the iOS version of the app. Now the change is rolling out, and it's not just iPhone users that will be able to chat with more people.
The change was spotted by WABetaInfo and it means that both iOS and Android users will no longer be limited with chatting with up to three other people. The latest beta version of the app sees the number of chat participants doubling from four to eight.
The increase helps to make WhatsApp far more versatile and useful, but it'is still not on a par with Skype and Zoom. Skype now allows up to 50 people to take part in a group chat, while Zoom supports up to 100.
The more the merrier
In order to take advantage of the increase in the number of participants, everyone taking part in a chat needs to be running at least version 2.20.133 of the Android app or 2.20.50.25 on iOS. Providing this is the case, up to eight people can enjoy group audio and video calls together.
The feature is gradually rolling out, so it is possible that even if you have either of these versions installed you can't add more than 4 participants to a group chat. Starting a group chat is a simple matter of switching to Calls, tapping the call button and then tapping New group call before selecting who you would like to take part.
There have been some unexpected side-effects to the coronavirus pandemic, including the teaming up of Google and Apple to provide information to the public about the spread of the disease.
But while we've known for a few days about the two companies working together to keep mobile users informed about infected people nearby, there was something of a question about just how updates were going to be pushed out to users.
Now the company has shed some light on how the process will work, saying that it will used the established Google Play Services infrastructure to ensure that as many people as possible get the updates.
The benefit of using Google Play Services to update Android users with the latest information about Covid-19 tracing is that it means updates can be pushed to all handsets running Android 6.0 Marshmallow and above.
As well as maximizing the number of people that can be reached with individual updates, opting to using the Google Play Services infrastructure means that updates can also be spread much more quickly.
There had been fears, for instance, that operating system updates – of the style used to issued monthly security updates to Android – would not only mean people with older handsets would miss out, but also that the rollout of important informative updates would be much slower due to the involvement of handset makers.
Keep informed, keep safe
As reported by the The Verge, there will be two phases to the opt-in Bluetooth contact tracing framework which will enabled people to anonymously broadcast the fact they have tested positive for coronavirus. Both phases will be reliant on Google Play Services for updates, starting with the initial API rollout next month. Following on from this, "in coming months" we can expect to see APIs that are built into Android directly.
There will be a different system in place for Huawei phones that are not able to use key Google services. For these handsets, Google intends to produce a special framework for devices from Huawei, Xiaomi and other Chinese manufacturers, which they will have the option of using.
Google is delaying a Chrome security update to minimize disruption while people are forced to work remotely.
Back in February, Google started to implement an important change to limit the functionality of third-party cookies in Chrome. Launched in Chrome 80, the cookie changes were designed to help improve the privacy and security of users.
SameSite cookie labelling saw Google enforcing secure-by-default handling of third-party cookies. But just two months later, Google is rolling back the changes to cookie handling citing the "extraordinary global circumstances due to Covid-19".
The aim of the change was to block cross-site tracking in Chrome and prevent the exploitation of cookie vulnerabilities. But while the security and privacy improvements this would bring about, there is concern that not all websites were prepared for the changes.
Google is aware that the coronavirus pandemic is forcing more people to work from home, and businesses and individuals are even more reliant on the internet than normal. The company is concerned that some essential services might not be prepared for the changes.
Cookies changes on hold
Google wants to ensure that services such as banking, healthcare, online food shopping and government site continue to function properly. As such the company is rolling back the cookie changes to eliminate the risk of disruption.
But the rollback won't be permanent; Google plans to resume the enforcement of new way of handling cookies, and it is currently aiming for some time over the summer. As the rollback was caused by the coronavirus pandemic, however, this time frame could change depending on how the virus is handled over the coming weeks and months.
Google says it will continue to provide more information on the SameSite Updates page.
Facebook Messenger has been around for nearly a decade, but it's only just become available as both a desktop app for both Windows and mac OS.
The release comes at a very fitting time, with more and more people currently working from home and relying on video conferencing tools such as Zoom and Skype.
You may well have already seen a Facebook Messenger app for Windows – you may even have it installed already – and you might well be confused (we were!), but this is a new unified app for Microsoft and Apple desktop platforms and it has a batch of new features. And there is, of course, a dark mode option.
Facebook says that over the past month it has noted as 100% increase in audio and video calling from desktop web browsers. While using Messenger on the Facebook website is fine, a dedicated desktop app makes things a whole lot easier; it's much easier to switch between apps and websites while you are chatting, for instance.
There is, of course, the great benefit of being able to chat on a larger screen – which is important if you're conducting a video chat with several people. Chats are synchronized between your computer and your mobile, and you can managed notifications so you are alerted to as much or as little as you want. The desktop app works in very much the same way as the mobile versions, and includes dark mode, support for GIFs, audio clip recording, and more.
Get connected
While Facebook Messenger offers something of an alternative to the likes of Zoom, it's not going to be suitable for everyone. There are no time limits on video calls unlike the free version of Zoom, but the limit of eight participants will mean the app is not going to be suitable for many businesses to use for conference calls.
For get-togethers with friends and family, however, it's perfect.
WhatsApp is testing a new feature that will help you check online to see if what is said in the messages you receive is actually true. A new search function will enable people to fact-check message and obtain greater context about what is being said.
Fake news and misinformation have been something of a problem online for a while now, but when a global crisis strikes, it's particularly noticeable. Social media is a hotbed of maliciously false – as well as just misguided – information, and more and more platforms are fighting back.
Facebook and Twitter have already introduced fact-checking services, and moderators are jumping on certain messages about coronavirus in case they spread dangerously inaccurate information. WhatsApp just launched a coronavirus data hub, and it is currently testing a new search option.
A spokesperson for the company told TechCrunch: "We are working on new features to help empower users to find out more information about the messages they receive that have been forwarded many times".
Twitter user @shrinivassg shared screenshots of how things are looking in the beta version of the messaging app:
Fighting for truth
The new feature will enable WhatsApp users to perform a web search based on the contents of messages that have been forwarded to them. This will hopefully make it easier for people to determine the reliability of a message, and to think twice before mindlessly forwarding it on.
There is no precise timetable for when this feature will roll out to the main version of the app. For now, WhatsApp says: "This feature is currently in testing, and we look forward to rolling it out in the near future".
Google has a nice surprise for Google One subscribers who are self-isolating to avoid catching or spreading Covid-19. The company is sending out free Google Play credit coupons which can be redeemed against anything in the store.
The gifts are being sent out by emails, and although Google doesn't make explicit reference to coronavirus, the timing is perfect for anyone who finds they are stuck at home looking for entertainment.
There is one catch. Not all Google users are receiving the store credits, only Google One subscribers – those who have paid for a little extra storage for Gmail and Google Drive.
At least one TechRadar writer has received an email from Google about their UK-based Google One account, and was pleased to find they had been given £4 of credit for free. Android Police also reports that subscribers in the US are receiving $5 of credit, and emails are also being sent out in India. Other territories may follow in the coming days.
Grab it while you can
While the prospect of free money (essentially) is appealing, don't wait too long before you claim the Google credit, or it will expire. You need to make sure that you add the credit to your Google Payments account by 29 June, and then you need to spend it by 29 September.
Once you've added the credit to your account, you can use it to pay in part or full for apps, games, movies, music and books – in fact, anything you find in the Google Play store. Enjoy!
