Google Pixel Offers, 'Indelible Ink Removal' Trends, Fake WhatsApp Video Calling Invites, and More: Your 360 Daily

Fake WhatsApp video calling invites, Flipkart’s offers on Google Pixel and Pixel XL, and Delhi High Court’s probe into soft porn content on Hotstar made the news today in the world of technology. With these and more top news stories, here's today's 360 Daily.

WhatsApp video calling fake invites doing the rounds
Fake WhatsApp video calling invites have been doing the rounds on WhatsApp, leading users to malicious websites. While updating the app to the latest version is the only way to get the new video calling feature, the widely-circulated messages incorrectly say that it can only be activated via an invitation. Clicking on the link contained in the fake WhatsApp video calling invite takes you to a website that asks you to invite more friends in order to get the video calling feature, and seemingly tries to steal user data.

Flipkart offering discount, cashback on Google Pixel smartphones
Flipkart is offering cashback of up to Rs. 26,000 on Google’s Pixel and Pixel XL smartphones from November 18 to November 25. However, the Rs. 26,000 cash-back seems to be applicable only if you give an iPhone 6S Plus in exchange, with other smartphone fetching smaller amounts. HDFC Bank credit card users get an additional Rs. 7,000 discount, while Axis Bank Buzz credit card holders get 5 percent off the price. The base price of Google Pixel in India is Rs. 57,000, while the Pixel XL starts at Rs. 67,000.

Delhi HC asks Centre to probe HotStar for showing soft porn
Delhi High Court has directed the Centre to investigate allegations that Star India-owned video streaming service Hotstar shows soft porn, and take appropriate action. Justice Sanjeev Sachdeva has also issued a notice to Star India and Novi Digital Entertainment Pvt. Ltd., its subsidiary, to reply to allegations that their IPTV distribution service does not follow uplinking and downlinking guidelines.

Indians search Google for ‘indelible ink removal’ methods
After banks started using indelible ink to mark customers who have exchanged the now-defunct Rs. 500 and Rs. 1,000 notes for the new currency, Google searches for the term ‘indelible ink removal’ have risen. Delhi, Karnataka, West Bengal, and Maharashtra are the states leading the country in looking up indelible ink removal methods, according to Google Trends data.

Xiaomi Mi MIX Nano with 5.5-inch screen leaked
Images and details of Xiaomi Mi MIX Nano, a smaller version of the company’s Mi MIX concept smartphone, have leaked online. The smartphone will reportedly have a 90 percent screen-to-body ratio, Snapdragon 821 chipset, 4GB of RAM, Android 6.0 Marshmallow, and 64GB storage. It is said to be priced at CNY 3,000 (roughly Rs. 30,000), but there are no details about the launch date yet.

Samsung’s market share falls thanks to Galaxy Note 7 debacle
Samsung has seen a drop in smartphone market share after the Galaxy Note 7 fiasco, which passed incident-free in India, according to the company. The company’s market share dropped to 19.2 percent in the July-September quarter from 23.6 percent a year ago, according to Gartner. Apple’s market share also dropped from 13 percent to 11.5 percent, while Chinese smartphone makers like Huawei, Oppo, and BBK registered an increase in their pie of the market.

Pixel, Pixel XL resellers get Google’s ‘digital death sentence’
Several Pixel smartphoneo buyers who sold off their handsets have been locked out of their Google account, which is the central link to services such as Gmail, Google Photos, Google+, Drive, Hangouts, Calendar, Wallet, etc., along with YouTube, Blogger, Search. A digital death of sorts, this punishment was handed out to them by Google for violating its terms of service, which prohibits users from buying Pixel devices for commercial resale.

Apple starts discounted repair program for iPhone 6 Plus 'Touch Disease'
Apple has started an initiative for customers whose iPhone 6S Plus units suffer from the so-called ‘Touch Disease’ – a display issue that starts with grey flickering band and can potentially render a portion of the screen useless – to repair the device’s screen at discounted rates. Though the company has agreed to provide a solution, it has put the blame squarely at the users, saying it has “determined that some iPhone 6 Plus devices may exhibit display flickering or multi-touch issues after being dropped multiple times on a hard surface.”

Apple is charging customers a discounted rate of $149 in the US and Rs. 9,900 in India to repair the devices. However, iPhone 6, which is also said to suffer from Touch Disease, is not part of the program.

Facebook will now let users activate ‘Safety Check’ feature
Facebook’s Safety Check tool – the feature that allows users to mark themselves as safe on the social network in crisis situation – will now be activated if enough users post about an incident. Facebook users will be able to notify friends they are safe and invite their friends to do the same. A new feature called Community Help, due to be launched next year, will let them offer or receive shelter, food and other help in emergency situations. The company has also expanded its list of charities that users can donate to from 100 to 750,000. Users will also be allowed to add a donate button to their Facebook Live videos for charity causes.