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UAE Entrepreneurs Launch Private Messaging App

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UAE-based entrepreneurs have launched a private messaging app, which enables users to send voice and written messages that disappear as soon as they are sent, read, and played. “The application called Oh!Message, brings users back to the classical period of simple communications tools, but by using the best privacy-enhancing features, to be the first chat application with this high privacy developed in the ME region by Arab expertise,” said Mohammed Othman and Haian Nayouf, the makers of the app.

With this free app, the sent message will disappear from the sender’s account after 10 seconds if it is read by the recipient or not, and it will also disappear from the recipient’s account after 10 seconds of opening or playing it. The message will be destroyed completely within the application and will not be stored on the app servers. Each written message is limited to 100 characters while the audio message is 10 seconds.

“Oh!Message is end-to-end encrypted but it has also other features that make it the most private app among messaging apps,” said Engineer Mohammed Othman, Co-Founder and Chief of Technology at Oh!Message. “In this app, which is available in Apple and Android stores, the user doesn’t appear online while using it, and his/her location is not tracked.”

“The first period of the app launch is in the UAE, the Gulf region, and Arab countries,” said Haian Nayouf, Co-Founder and Chief of Communications at Oh!Message. “The UAE is the capital for talent, companies, and investments in the areas of digital and technical excellence globally, and this has greatly motivated us to work on this project in UAE, and the app is the first of its kind in the Arab world with these strong privacy features.”

The app is now available for both iOS and Android devices.

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Samsung Health Hub Streamlines Doctor-Patient Communication

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Samsung is stepping up its game in the health tech race with plans to develop a new hub, designed to simplify how users share health data directly with their doctors between appointments. This initiative aims to bridge the disconnect often experienced when patients struggle to recall medical advice or fitness suggestions.

Dr. Hon Pak, a Samsung health executive, highlighted the company’s commitment to cutting down this gap. They’re working on tools that will funnel data collected from smartwatches into a central location, also providing nudges to help users stay on track with doctor-prescribed goals. Pak emphasized the need to move away from fragmented health solutions. “There are a lot of innovations out there but it’s siloed,” Pak said. “We think there’s a responsibility and a potential for bringing the experience into an ecosystem so that the users have a more simple experience rather than having 10 different apps to manage your condition.”

While the full hub is still some time away, Samsung recently announced new features coming to its smartwatches as part of a One UI 8 software update. These enhancements will include tools for measuring antioxidant levels and vascular load, alongside a running coach and upgrades to sleep management. The features will be available on last year’s Samsung Galaxy Watch models, with the bedtime coach specifically coming to the Galaxy Watch 5 and newer devices. A beta program for these features is set to launch this month in the US and South Korea.

To check antioxidant levels on a new-generation Samsung watch, users will simply press their fingertip against the sensors on the device’s back. The feature can then suggest nutritional adjustments, like eating antioxidant-rich berries, to help improve readings. The vascular load feature measures pulse waves during sleep to assess arterial pressure, aiming to better identify the risk for stroke and other cardiovascular issues. The new running feature will help users train for races by analyzing baseline performance, and an enhanced sleep tool will suggest optimal bedtimes based on several days of analyzed data.

Smartwatches are evolving beyond simple notification companions, increasingly merging with sports watches and even medical-grade wearables. Competitors like Apple Inc., Garmin Ltd., and Alphabet Inc.’s Google have already made significant advancements in measuring heart conditions and sleep.

This shift towards more comprehensive health features in wearables aligns with broader trends, as noted by Pak. Increases in chronic diseases, healthcare workforce shortages, and rising medical costs are leading more people to seek care from home. “The burden is now on the patients and the families that have to provide that care,” he explained. “So with that, we have to be in the home.”

Samsung’s health platform currently boasts about 68 million monthly active customers. Looking ahead, Pak mentioned that more health sensors are planned for future Samsung devices, including earbuds. While features like cuff-less blood pressure tracking and non-invasive glucose tracking are in development, they are still years away from release.

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Twitch Announces Major Global and MENA Product Upgrades at TwitchCon Europe 2025

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Twitch has announced a suite of significant product and service updates aimed at transforming how creators stream, monetize, and share content. The announcements were made by CEO Dan Clancy during the Opening Ceremony of TwitchCon Rotterdam 2025, the annual IRL festival celebrating Twitch’s expansive global community.

These new initiatives build on the roadmap outlined in Twitch’s 2025 open letter to its community, which prioritized streamer growth. With Twitch currently commanding over 60% of the gaming livestreaming market and viewers collectively watching an astounding average of 46 million hours of content daily, the platform continues to solidify its position at the forefront of live gaming and interactive entertainment.

This momentum is particularly evident in the MENA region, where viewership has seen a significant surge. In 2024 alone, viewers across the Middle East and North Africa spent over 209 million hours watching content on Twitch, underscoring the region’s rapidly growing appetite for livestreamed entertainment.

Today’s announcements underscore Twitch’s unwavering commitment to its creators. Key updates include the introduction of dual-format and 2K streaming in Open Beta, providing streamers with more versatile broadcasting options. To enhance monetization, custom sub gift promotions are being rolled out, offering new ways for communities to support their favorite creators.

A brand-new feature called Combos was also unveiled, alongside significant mobile app upgrades, some of which are specifically tailored to meet the needs and preferences of the MENA region’s burgeoning streaming community. “TwitchCon is our largest annual IRL gathering, bringing together our global community of streamers, viewers, and brands in a powerful way,” said Dan Clancy, CEO of Twitch, addressing the audience in Rotterdam. “This weekend is a celebration of creativity, connection, and fun. We’re introducing new tools and features to help streamers grow, including ones tailored to the MENA region.”

Clancy further emphasized the platform’s strategic focus on regional expansion, “We’ve seen strong momentum around gaming and esports, plus a rising demand for new and existing audiences. We’re excited to keep building in MENA, because when streamers thrive, so do the communities around them.”

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Canva Outage: Company Blames Internal Error for Widespread Disruption

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Popular graphic design platform Canva suffered a major global outage on Monday, leaving thousands of users unable to access accounts, load projects, or use key features. The disruption, which began earlier in the day, quickly spiraled into a trending topic on social media as frustrated designers and businesses reported widespread login failures and error messages.

Canva’s homepage displayed a notice acknowledging the issue: ‘There was an issue on our end,’ confirming the problem stemmed from internal servers rather than user-side connectivity. The company has since released an official statement attributing the outage to an ‘internal error’ and is working to restore full functionality. Stay tuned for updates.

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