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Tag: messaging

  • WhatsApp adds new features to your status updates

    WhatsApp adds new features to your status updates

    Although an app with a very large and broad user base, WhatsApp can still leave a lot to be desired when it comes to its features. Competing apps such as Signal and Telegram have, for years, outshined the Meta-owned application in that respect; However, WhatsApp is now stepping things up and adding

    WhatsApp announced via a blog post that the company will be adding more options to the status section of the app, which is often used to convey fleeting information with friends and close contacts. These statuses are available for 24 hours and can contain a variety of media, including photos, videos, animated GIFs, etc. Here’s a summary of the new features you can expect:

    • Private Audience Selector: Every status update you post might not be appropriate for all of your contacts all of the time, so WhatsApp will now have the ability to update your privacy settings on a per-status basis so that you can choose who sees each new version of the status that you post. The audience that you most recently selected will be remembered and used as the default for your subsequent status update.
    • Voice Status: You will soon be able to record and share voice messages on WhatsApp status that are up to 30 seconds long. Voice status allows for sending more personal updates, which is especially useful if you find that expressing yourself verbally rather than through typing is more comfortable for you.
    • Status Reactions: You can now respond to any status in a flash by swiping up and selecting one of eight different emojis from the menu that appears. It goes without saying that you can still respond to a status update with a text message, voice message, stickers, or any number of other options. Status reactions have been one of the most requested features since the debut of Reactions a year ago.
    • Status Profile Rings for New Updates: When a contact of yours shares an update to their status, a ring will appear around their profile picture. This will be viewable in the chat lists, the participant lists for groups, as well as the contact information, thus making it easier to never miss a status update from a friend or family member again.
    • Link Previews on Status: When you send a message or post a link on your status, you will now see an automatic visual preview of the message or link’s content, just as you do when you send a message. Visual previews not only improve the appearance of your status updates but also provide your contacts with a clearer picture of the link’s content before they click on it.

    These updates have begun to be made available to users all over the world, and they will be accessible to absolutely everyone in the coming weeks. As usual, just like your personal chats and calls, your WhatsApp status is protected by end-to-end encryption so that you can share in a private manner without compromising your safety.

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  • SEC Searching for More Whatsapp Offenders

    SEC Searching for More Whatsapp Offenders

    Last year, the SEC imposed fines worth billions of dollars for violations of record-keeping requirements in banks’ communications with their customers. It seems more firms are being targeted.

    The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has ordered some large hedge funds to review the personal cell phones of certain employees for evidence of trades made through unauthorized channels. Among those targeted are Steve Cohen’s Point72 Asset Management, and Ken Griffin’s Citadel.

    Last year, the SEC imposed heavy fines on banks after months of investigations into a series of corresponding cases. A total of 16 financial companies, including Goldman Sachs, Bank of America, Citigroup, and Morgan Stanley, paid a total of $1.8 billion.

    Credit Suisse and UBS also had to pay $200 million each. Employees at each of the firms were accused of communicating with customers about business matters via chat programs and applications such as Whatsapp.

    If customer contacts were conducted via the private devices of bank employees and not recorded accordingly, there were in violation of the banks’ documentation obligations.

    The hedge funds contacted by the SEC were asked to search the devices of certain employees for evidence of business dealings on unauthorized channels, the sources told «Bloomberg». The SEC is also investigating the practices of brokerage firms, asset managers, and private equity firms.

    Reuters reported last October the SEC was looking to expand its investigation to other financial firms. From the SEC’s perspective, the retention and documentation of communications between institutions and clients serve market integrity.

    By imposing the fines, the authority wants to ensure communications about business matters are handled exclusively through official channels and be tracked accordingly.

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  • Whatsapp has new feature to undo send messages

    Whatsapp has new feature to undo send messages

    For many phone owners, the person they message the most is themselves. No, it has nothing to do with egotistical behavior and has everything to do with using common sense. Sometimes when you need to jot down a note you’re caught without paper or a pen. While an app like Google Keep is ideal for these situations, some would rather send a message to themselves.
    But if WhatsApp is their preferred messaging app, this could not be done unless the user opened a group chat and included himself as one of the group members, and then sent a message to this group. Who wants to go through all that just to remind yourself that the dog walker is on vacation, or to save a story or video that you just viewed online? The Meta-owned app has fixed this by disseminating an update that allows WhatsApp subscribers to send messages to themselves.
    A WhatsApp user can now select themself to be the lone recipient of a message he or she is going to send via the app. After typing the message you want to send yourself, the app puts up a notification that points out that the message you send is protected by end-to-end encryption. Unless you have multiple personalities, this doesn’t matter. But it does mean that WhatsApp or any other person that isn’t you, can not read or listen to the message.
    Meta had this feature beta tested by iPhone users and is rolling it out now for all users. It has been made available on Android and does work on this writer’s Pixel 6 Pro running Android 13 QPR2 Beta 2.1.
    WhatsApp has added more than just the ability to message yourself. Following the update, you can undo the “Delete for me” feature to bring back a message that you’ve accidentally erased from your WhatsApp account. To see how this works, you can just send a test message to yourself (which you can do now) and long-press on the test message. Tap the trash can icon on the top of the screen and you will see a pop-up. Select Delete for me and a bar at the bottom of the screen will appear that says “Message deleted for me” with the word UNDO on the right side of the bar. Tap it to undo the deletion and the message will return.
    You also can now control who will be able to see when you’re online. From the WhatsApp app tap the three-dot menu icon on the top right of the screen and go to Settings > Privacy > Last seen and online. You can tap Nobody on the top quarter of the display so that no one can see when you were last on WhatsApp. Underneath you can choose who can see when you’re online. The options are Everybody and Same as last seen. Select the latter option and if you have Nobody picked for last seen, no one will be able to see if you’re online.
    When you are about to message one of your WhatsApp contacts, under that person’s name, it will show the last time he or she was seen on the app. So if you’re a private person you might want to follow the directions in the above paragraph so that no one knows when you were on WhatsApp last and whether you are on now. On the other hand, you might want your contacts to know when you are available to have a conversation on the platform.
    Another new feature will allow users to search for a past chat by the date it took place. This helps if you can’t find a specific chat but you know the date when it occurred.
  • WhatsApp might let you share voice notes as status updates

    WhatsApp might let you share voice notes as status updates

    As you probably know, typing messages is old-school. Sending voice messages is the way to chat with your friends these days. It takes less time to compose such a message, and you can do it on the go, even while driving.

    In WhatsApp, you can send a recorded voice message to a friend, which is great, right? But you can’t use a voice message as a status update. This means that if you want to convey a note to all of your contacts, you will still need to type your thoughts on a virtual keyboard. And if you are tired of doing that, you will be happy to learn that WhatsApp might soon let you create voice notes as status updates.

    As WABetaInfo first reported, WhatsApp is releasing the ability to share voice notes as status updates to some beta testers with version 2.23.2.8 of the WhatsApp beta app for Android. The voice notes have a maximum length of 30 seconds and disappear after 24 hours, just like the text, photos, videos, and GIF status options.

    In terms of privacy, the new addition to the status updates is also end-to-end encrypted, and only the people chosen in your privacy settings will be able to listen to your shared voice messages. Also, you will be able to delete a shared voice note at any given time.

    As we can see from the images below, the new status update feature will be accessible within the text status section. The beta testers that currently have this function enabled also have a new microphone icon that allows them to record a voice note. Furthermore, it appears that you will be able to listen to your recording and discard it if you wish before sharing it.

    According to WABetaInfo, the feature will be rolled out to more users in the coming weeks.

  • WhatsApp’s newest feature helps users avoid internet shutdowns

    WhatsApp’s newest feature helps users avoid internet shutdowns

    WhatsApp starts the new year with a minor update introducing proxy support, a feature that should help some users avoid internet shutdowns. The new feature is available for WhatsApp users worldwide, regardless of their phone (iOS or Android).

    According to WhatsApp, all the proxies that will be available to choose from will connect through servers set up by volunteers and organizations. The messaging app has also published a guide to help those who want to volunteer for such a task, which is pretty easy to follow if you’re tech-savvy.

    If you want to benefit from the feature, here is how you can connect to a proxy if you have an Android or an iOS device.

    Connect to a proxy on Android

    • Make sure you are using the most current version of WhatsApp.
    • In the Chats tab, tap More options / Settings.
    • Tap Storage and Data > Proxy.
    • Tap Use Proxy.
    • Tap Set Proxy and enter the proxy address.
    • Tap Save.
    • A check mark will show if the connection is successful.

    Connect to a proxy on iPhone

    • Make sure you are using the most current version of WhatsApp.
    • Go to WhatsApp Settings.
    • Tap Storage and Data / Proxy.
    • Tap Use Proxy.
    • Enter the proxy address and tap Save to connect.
    • A check mark will show if the connection is successful.

    As per WhatsApp’s official statement, the level of privacy and security that the app provides should remain just as high when connecting via proxy, so we shouldn’t be worried about privy eyes. End-to-end encryption will remain active even when connecting the app through other servers via proxies, so messages should not be visible to anyone in between (i.e. proxy servers, WhatsApp, or Meta).

    To take advantage of proxy support, check out the new feature in the settings menu, but first make sure you have the latest version of the app installed.

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  • WhatsApp will soon stop working on these iPhone and Samsung devices

    WhatsApp will soon stop working on these iPhone and Samsung devices

    WhatsApp periodically phases out older smartphones, so it’s no surprise that around 50 devices will no longer be able to run the messaging app this year. This is the second time in the last three months that WhatsApp is phasing out support for many Android and iOS devices.

    The last time happened in October when WhatsApp revealed it will no longer support iPhone SE, iPhone 6S, iPhone 6S Plus, and no less than 40 Android devices from Samsung, Huawei, LG, Sony, ZTE, HTC, Lenovo, and Alcatel.

    This time around WhatsApp confirmed it will no longer support nearly 50 phones, including the Apple iPhone 5 and iPhone 5c. The rest of the phones on the list are made by Samsung, Huawei, LG, Sony, Lenovo, and ZTE.

    These phones will no longer be supported because they haven’t been updated in a very long time. It looks like WhatsApp has upped the requirements for its app, so phones that don’t run at least Android 5.0 Lollipop or iOS 12.

    WhatsApp’s FAQ still mentions that it supports Android phones running OS 4.1 and newer. However, many (if not all) of the phones that will lose WhatsApp support at the end of the year are running Android 4.1 Jelly Bean, so we’re a bit on the fence regarding the accuracy of the information.

    The list includes mostly entry-level and mid-range smartphones. If you’re using one of these devices, you’ll probably want to upgrade to a newer phone to continue to use WhatsApp and receive new updates.

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  • WhatsApp Beta enables users to utilize the app on multiple phones

    WhatsApp Beta enables users to utilize the app on multiple phones

    WhatsApp is one of the staples of modern mobile communication. It offers safety through it’s end-to-end encryption and a list of features, which seems to have become ever-growing.

    Recently, the app got updated with a brand new feature called Call Links. Not much time has passed since then, and users enrolled in Beta already got some exciting news, which Whatsapp fans have been clamoring for: using a single account across multiple phones.

    The steps are very simple; however, keep in mind that this is only for a limited number of users on the Beta. The easiest way to check if you’ve got access to the feature is by tapping on the top right menu and checking for a “Link Device” option.

    If you see it, it’s pretty straightforward from there:

    1. Click on the Link Device button to generate a QR code
    2. Scan the QR code with your Companion device (phone or tablet)
    3. Presto! Now you have WhatsApp on both phones

    Naturally, make sure to have WhatsApp installed on your secondary device of choice. The process is very familiar to setting up WhatsApp Desktop, but again – this is a Beta. As such, bugs are expected, but your participation is sure to help clear them out quickly.

    WhatsApp seems to be looking to grow its services and it’s refreshing to see. Seasoned Android veterans are sure to have noticed how many apps are available, which allow users to utilize multiple WhatsApp accounts on a single device.That’s a sure sign that this is a sought-after feature, but it would be best served from the Meta-owned company, in order to ensure data safety. But still – maybe this is the next logical step in this update chain, but we will have to wait and see.

    Those of you who are already enrolled in the WhatsApp Beta program may want to check if the 2.22.24.18 update is available to them, though a wide rollout is still not unleashed. If you are excited to try this feature, make sure you enroll in the Beta program – you might be one of the lucky ones!

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  • WhatsApp’s new feature Call Links begins rollout

    WhatsApp’s new feature Call Links begins rollout

    WhatsApp announced a new feature last month called Call Links. Those excited to utilize secure group calls that only take a few seconds to set up may rejoice: the feature has officially started rolling out on a larger scale.

    As the name suggests, the feature allows WhatsApp users to create group calls, with or without video, accessible only by a simple link. These calls can host up to 32 people at a time, while the link itself is valid for 90 days.

    Naturally, all invitees must have a WhatsApp account and as of now, the feature is only supported on mobile phones. If you should open a Call Link on the WhatsApp desktop web app, it will inform you of the limitation and provide you with several options to get on the group call via your phone, like another link and a QR code.

    While it may seem redundant, as if you can open the link on the web app, then you must already have access to it on your phone, having an easy way to generate QR codes for calls that can last 3 months sounds like a nice hidden feature.

    Those interested in trying out Call Links can check if it’s available to them via these simple steps:

    1. Open WhatsApp on your smartphone
    2. Navigate to the rightmost tab labeled “Calls”
    3. On the top you should see the “Create call link” option

    And that’s all it takes to get a group call started on WhatsApp! While this is a significant improvement for individuals yearning for fast options that are known to be secure, the process is a tad more complicated than that of competitors.

    Zoom and Google Meet come to mind almost immediately. Both services provide video calls for up to 100 participants without any extra fees. You can also get access to extra options at a premium. Zoom’s calls can go up to 300 participants, while Google offers features such as streaming directly to YouTube.

    Both services will let you join in on a call without an account, which makes them a bit more accessible. Google even has an additional merit here: most people already have accounts set up, as you can’t really make the most of an Android device without one.

    You can even use your Google account to log into Zoom. While WhatsApp still requires your phone number, meaning that the only barrier that Call Links actually lifts is having another person’s number in your contact list.

    While WhatsApp’s service is completely free, it doesn’t have any extra features beyond voice calls. But their mission is different too: to let people communicate freely, without barriers. And Call Links completely matches that criteria.

    … And that would’ve been a poetic finale, if WhatsApp hadn’t been reported on testing calls for groups of over 1000 people. Given their ambitious experiments, this might just be the start for Call Links. Its future renditions may give competitors a run for their money.

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  • WhatsApp might soon increase the group chat cap to 1024 people

    WhatsApp might soon increase the group chat cap to 1024 people

    If you are a WhatsApp user with many friends, and we mean a lot, lot — 1000+ — you will be happy to learn that, soon, you will probably be able to add up to 1024 of your friends in one group chat.

    As WABetaInfo first reported, WhatsApp is rolling out a new feature to select WhatsApp beta testers that increase the current 512-person group chat cap to 1024.
    Previously, you could only add up to 256 people in one group chat, but WhatsApp saw that wasn’t enough anymore, and in June 2022, it increased the limit to 512 people. After all, if you are a big business with many employees that use WhatsApp as its main communication app, a 256-person cap is just not enough.

    Before the limit increase, many large companies that use WhatsApp had to make and manage multiple group chats because they couldn’t add all of their employees to one single conversation. And now, just a few months after the raise, WhatsApp wants to double the limit again, enabling even bigger companies to use the app as their main communication method.

    Furthermore, to give admins better control over these large groups, WhatsApp is also working on a new set of tools. For example, it wants to introduce a list of pending participants — which is a section that lists all the people wanting to join a group and lets admins approve them at any time — and an approval system that enables admins to choose who can add new participants to the group.Sadly, there is no information on when WhatsApp will release these features to regular users. If you want to have a group chat with 1000+ people right now, you could create a group in Telegram. The cap there is 200,000 people, which should be plenty enough.

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  • A new leak suggests that WhatsApp might soon let you edit your sent messages

    A new leak suggests that WhatsApp might soon let you edit your sent messages

    If you do a lot of typing on your phone, you know how embarrassing it is to send a message with misspelled words. Sometimes you see that you have typed the wrong key after you have sent the message. There are even instances when the autocorrect feature might replace some of your words without you even noticing. This is why every messaging app should have an edit message feature.

    The latest messaging app that has received such a feature is iMessage. With iOS 16, Apple added the functionality for iPhone users to edit their already sent messages, and — soon — another widely used app might also enable you to do the same.

    Back in June, we reported that WhatsApp is working on a new way to let you edit already sent messages. Now, a new leak from WABetaInfo suggests that WhatsApp hasn’t abandoned the project.

    In version 2.22.20.12 of the WhatsApp beta for Android, the folks from WABetaInfo found that WhatsApp is currently working on a way to let the app replace your sent messages with their edited counterparts. Furthermore, in order to read a received edited message, WhatsApp will prompt you to install the latest version of the app — once the edit function comes out, of course.

    At the moment, it’s still a mystery how much time WhatsApp will give you to edit your already-sent messages. We should also note that the feature is currently in development, and sadly, there is no information on when WhatsApp will release it to the public. However, we can be sure that it is coming.

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  • WhatsApp’s next update finally adds top-requested feature

    WhatsApp’s next update finally adds top-requested feature

    WhatsApp plans to roll out new security and privacy features to users on all platforms, the social network announced today. This is a more comprehensive update that brings several improvements, including one of the most-requested privacy features, the ability to choose who can see when you’re online.

    Besides that, the update introduces a new option that allows WhatsApp users to leave groups silently. Instead of notifying the full group when a user leaves, only the admins will receive a notification. According to WhatsApp, this specific feature will roll out to all users sometime this month.

    Another important security feature that’s supposed to go live later is the ability to block screenshots for View Once messages. One of the most popular WhatsApp features, View Once brings users a new, safe way to share photos or media that they don’t want to be permanently recorded.

    The update enables screenshot blocking for View Once messages, but WhatsApp is only testing this feature at the moment, so it’s not going to be available to everyone for a while.

    Finally, the ability to choose who can see when you’re online will be rolled out to all users this month, WhatsApp confirmed. More details about how you’ll be able to use the upcoming feature are provided via the image above.

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  • WhatsApp working on a new feature for group admins

    WhatsApp working on a new feature for group admins

    WhatsApp is constantly getting updates and new features, and we usually get a glimpse thanks to our friends at WABetaInfo. The app is working on a new voice note option for status updates, as well as the ability to hide your online status from prying eyes.

    Now there’s another slew of new features being developed mainly to help group administrators do their job more efficiently. The first one is set to allow admins to delete messages in groups for everyone. This was spotted in the WhatsApp beta v2.22.17.12 and according to WABetaInfo will be rolling out to the masses pretty soon.

    When an admin deletes a group message it will disappear for everyone, leaving a notice that it has been deleted by an admin (It says “you deteleted this message as admin” if you’re the one doing it).

    Another cool new feature that’s in the works is a chatbot that will blast users with in-app announcements. These announcements will include notifications about new WhatsApp features, tips and tricks, and possibly messages about paid promotions (hopefully not, but it’d be a missed opportunity).

    Earlier this year, WhatsApp started to test another feature to improve the user experience – the ability to edit your messages.

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  • Whatsapp is adding more privacy options

    Whatsapp is adding more privacy options

    The next WhatsApp update is rolling out and if you’re participating in the Google Play Beta Program, chances are you already have the version 2.22.16.12 of the popular chat app. If not, the guys at WABetaInfo have dissected the package and found out what this update is all about.

    It turns out that a feature that was under development for the iOS version of WhatsApp is now coming to Android as well. This feature is the ability to hide your online status from prying eyes. There will be a new section under Privacy Setting inside WhatsApp that will allow you to choose from two available scenarios – “everyone,” and “same as last seen.”

    The first option is self-explanatory but the second will take your “last seen” settings – more specifically “Nobody,” and “My contacts except.” This will basically make your online status invisible for everyone or a select group of your contacts.

    Even though WABetaInfo shared a screen of the new feature, it’s not available in the latest beta – there’s just a hint that it’s under development. Fortunately, rolling it out to the general public won’t take much time, as it’s an easy update, and one that’s been already under development for iOS.
  • WhatsApp adds ability to transfer chat history and more from Android to iPhone

    WhatsApp adds ability to transfer chat history and more from Android to iPhone

    Switching from an old phone to a new one has become a very mundane process in the last several years, but things are a bit more hectic when it comes to switching platforms. Ever since Android and iOS existed, both Google and Apple have done everything they could to make switching from one platform to another as painful as possible. Very subtly, of course.

    Since many of us want to keep as much of the information we have stored on a phone as possible when we buy a new one, it’s very important for apps like Messenger, Telegram and WhatsApp to provide users with a hassle-free way to transfer their data not just between phones, but also between ecosystems.

    WhatsApp announced this week that it’s now making it much easier to migrate data from an Android phone to an iPhone and vice versa. Regardless of what phone you’re switching to, you’ll now be able to transfer your account information, profile photo, individual chats, group chats, chat history, media and settings.

    However, you will not be able to transfer your call history or display name if you’re moving from an Android phone to an iPhone. The same goes for peer to peer payment messages, although personal messages can be transferred from an Android phone to an iPhone.

    It’s important to mention for iPhone users that transferred data won’t go to cloud storage after migration, at least not until you specifically create an iCloud backup.

    As far as Android users go, the data transferred will remain on the Android phone unless WhatsApp is deleted or you completely wipe your phone. Here what the full process of migrating your data from Android to iPhone looks like:

    • Open the Move to iOS app on your Android phone and follow the on-screen prompts.
    • A code will be displayed on your iPhone. When prompted, enter the code on your Android phone.
    • Tap Continue and follow the on-screen prompts.
    • Select WhatsApp on the Transfer Data screen.
    • Tap START on your Android phone, and wait for WhatsApp to prepare the data for export. You’ll be signed out from your Android phone once the data is prepared.
    • Tap NEXT to return to the Move to iOS app.
    • Tap CONTINUE to transfer the data from your Android phone to your iPhone and wait for Move to iOS to confirm the transfer is complete.
    • Install the latest version of WhatsApp from the App Store.
    • Open WhatsApp and log in using the same phone number used on your old device.
    • Tap Start when prompted, and allow the process to complete.
    • Finish activating your new device and you’ll see your chats waiting for you.

    Make sure you meet the requirements

    To successfully migrate date between Android and iPhone and vice versa, your phone must run Android 5/iOS 15.5 or above, Move to iOS app installed your Android phone, and the latest version of WhatsApp. Also, your iPhone must be factory new or reset to factory settings to pair with the Move to iOS app and move data from your Android phone.

    Finally, both devices must be connected to the same Wi-Fi network. Another option would be to connect the Android phone to an iPhone’s hotspot. Of course, you must use the same phone number as your phone on your new device to be able to transfer your data.

    Every process that involves more than 10 steps would probably not be considered convenient, but the alternative would be to remain stuck with a phone and OS that you no longer love, or risk losing all your WhatsApp data. Despite requiring a little bit of knowledge before attempting to migration process, this is actually a very cool feature that will probably be fine tuned in the years to come.
  • WhatsApp may soon let you hide your activity status

    WhatsApp may soon let you hide your activity status

    Sometimes, you might not want your friends on social media to know when you’re online. You probably don’t want to be disturbed, or you are a very privacy-oriented person and just don’t want others to know when you are on your socials. This is why apps like Messenger and Instagram have an option to hide your activity status, and soon, WhatsApp will have a similar feature as well.

    As spotted by WABetaInfo, WhatsApp is working on a way to let you hide your online status. From the screenshot below, we can see that the new option will probably be situated in the Last Seen section in the Privacy settings menu of the app.

    Most likely, you will be able to choose between hiding your activity status from everyone or concealing it only from those selected in the “Who can see my last seen” section.

    Although the screenshot was taken from the iOS version of the WhatsApp beta, the new “Who can see when I’m online” feature will most likely come to the Android and Desktop WhatsApp versions as well. However, keep in mind that this option is still under development, and some things might be changed when it is publicly released.

    Nevertheless, for quite some time now, many WhatsApp users have wanted an option to choose who can see their activity status. So, it’s great that the people behind WhatsApp have listened and decided to finally introduce such an option to the platform.

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