WhatsApp is slowly growing beyond a simple person-to-person communication app. For months, the popular app developed features which saw the introduction of Communities and file sharing, among others. Now, the company is working on two new features to pit it against other players in the communications space: custom usernames and screen sharing.

Spotted by WABetaInfo, WhatsApp has released beta versions with the above features. First of all, in the new version, users will be able to select custom usernames to create accounts, rather than with a phone number. The anonymity of custom usernames is already a popular feature among communication platforms today. It allows users to hide their identity in situations where it’s more expedient to do so. Despite going without a phone number, accounts tied to custom usernames will still be end-to-end encrypted.

Secondly, WhatsApp will soon allow users to share their screens in a call. Now, screen sharing is already an important feature in today’s communication apps. Popular platforms like Zoom and Discord already offer as much.

Since the features are still in beta, it’s unclear when they will arrive in a more finalized version for the public. It’s also unclear if it will even release to the public.

SEE ALSO: WhatsApp adds an edit button

It’s not every day that the Philippines gets an exclusive feature ahead of everything else. However, if you’re a power user of TikTok, your experience is about to get an AI-charged boost. The popular video-sharing platform is currently testing an AI chatbot called Tako in the Philippines.

Much like other AI chatbots, Tako will aid users with search functions and general queries. Located on the top-right portion of the app, the chatbot can answer whatever you throw at it. Obviously, the feature comes with a TikTok twist. For example, asking the chatbot about the best destinations in Boracay will pull up related videos on TikTok showcasing the tourist destination.

Likewise, Tako can hold conversations with the user outside of simple questions. The company has not confirmed which system it is using to accomplish this.

Unfortunately, especially if you’re excited for the future of AI, TikTok does not have any plans to launch the feature beyond testing as of the moment. However, the early testing period might open up the possibility of a more permanent feature.

Additionally, only a select number of users in the Philippines — and no other country — will be able to test the feature. If you’re part of the experiment, enjoy Tako while you can. TikTok has not confirmed a duration for the experiment, either.

SEE ALSO: TikTok extends video limit to 20 minutes

Several years ago (and even until today), WinRAR was a must-have for new PCs. The free software allows users to zip files into compressed folders and open those from other users. However, since Windows added support for several filetypes, WinRAR’s magic slowly diminished. Now, it’s getting even smaller. Windows 11 will soon support RAR.

Today, Panos Panay, Microsoft’s chief product officer for Windows, shared that the operating system is developing support for “additional archive formats, including tar, 7-zip, rar, gz, and many others.” Soon, users will be able to open, extract, and compress folders using the rar format.

Currently, Windows 11 has no timeline for the feature. However, it is certainly coming soon. Testing has already started.

Now, Windows 11 already allows users to handle zip files and other formats. Even without a third-party app, users can open these formats straight from File Explorer.

Of course, it’s not the most advanced of mechanics. However, if all you need is a simple way to open these formats, File Explorer eliminates the need for another app. When support opens up to more filetypes, users will no longer need other apps, potentially spelling the end for WinRAR’s reputation as a PC must-have.

Besides additional filetype support, Windows is also developing more features to leverage the emerging features in AI technology.

SEE ALSO: Windows 12 might come out in 2024