News & Reviews:   third-party

In the future, we could send a WhatsApp message to a third-party chat. WhatsApp has released its Android beta version 2.25.33.8 via the Google Play Beta Program, and the update introduces a feature that enables third-party chat interoperability, purportedly in response to European regulatory requirements.

In a strategic pivot within the AI and messaging landscape, Meta Platforms has announced that starting 15 January 2026, it will prohibit third-party general-purpose AI chatbots — including well-known names like ChatGPT and Perplexity — from operating on WhatsApp via its Business API.

In case you didn’t know, Meta is now restructuring their artificial intelligence division. According to a NYT report, it is said that Meta has also considered using third-party artificial intelligence models. So, what should you know about it?

The Employees’ Provident Fund (EPF) today iterated that it has NEVER offered any schemes that reward members with monetary pay-off. This is after EPF members reportedly received fraudulent emails from irresponsible quarters claiming that they are entitled to a minimum of RM1000 reward if they worked from 2016 to 2021.

Shared on its official Facebook page, EPF warned its members to not fall for such a scam and to not click on the link attached to the email. Furthermore, the statutory body also stressed that it has never appointed or authorised any third parties to offer such a reward.

In a country like Malaysia, third-party repair outlets are quite popular for smartphone consumers due to affordability. However, you might want to stay clear from ever breaking your iPhone 13 series display because if you do - you won't be able to use your Face ID anymore.

It's not something you're told, but some shops sell you unauthorised/unofficial replacement batteries. Some people go for those when fixing up their smartphones, just to save some money. But what if some brands like Xiaomi will make it inconvenient for you?

The problem with Android apps is that they can sometimes be geo-locked. For instance, some apps may not be available in the Malaysian Google Play Store. When that is the case, users have to turn to third-party to download the apps they want. But these third-party stores are not very secured since one of them was recently hacked.