Whatsapp

Chevron icon It indicates an expandable section or menu, or sometimes previous / next navigation options. Chevron icon It indicates an expandable section or menu, or sometimes previous / next navigation options. Chevron icon It indicates an expandable section or menu, or sometimes previous / next navigation options. What is WhatsApp? A guide to navigating the free internet-based communication platform • WhatsApp is a free, multiplatform messaging app that lets you make video and voice calls, send text messages, and more — all with just a Wi-Fi connection. • With over 2 billion active users, WhatsApp is especially popular among friends and family who live in different countries and want to stay in touch. • WhatsApp's global popularity is due in large part to its accessibility, cross-platform functionality, and simple, straightforward features. WhatsApp might be a little-known messaging app in the US, but in many parts of the globe, it's an essential part of everyday life. The Facebook-owned app is easily one of the most popular messaging services in the world. To understand WhatsApp's popularity, you need to understand it was one of the first mobile apps to offer free, internet-based messaging. Instead of sending texts using cellular-data networks, where fees may apply, WhatsApp primarily relies on a Wi-Fi connection to send and receive messages and calls for free. Fast forward to now: WhatsApp is preferred by over 2 billion users for its ability to streamline communication...

• Share to Facebook • Share to Twitter • Share to Linkedin If you’re a WhatsApp user, you will have seen the alarming stories warning about the messaging platform’s surprise privacy changes, many suggesting you switch to alternatives. The good news is you don’t need to do that—WhatsApp is still okay to use. The bad news, though, is that you do need to change these critical setting to stay safe. WhatsApp is changing. The messaging platform has now confirmed changes first announced in October, that open up further data sharing with Facebook . This last week has been the toughest for WhatsApp since the damaging spyware revelations in 2019. The idea that the world’s largest private messenger will share data with the world’s most ruthless data machine has prompted a backlash. Installs of rival messengers are soaring, up hundreds of per cent in the last few days. Time for some perspective. Your most private and sensitive data on WhatsApp, your messages, will remain private to you and the people you communicate with; messages are end-to-end encrypted as they’re sent—only you and the other side of each message can decrypt its content. Even WhatsApp has no means of accessing content in transit, while the messages on your phone are protected by the security of your device. The issue is metadata—the who, when and where around your messages, as well as your contacts and information about your device. WhatsApp does collect too much data, much more than the likes of Signal, Telegram and...

Contents • • • • • • • Show 2 more items In fact, the Apple App Store and Google Play Store are both littered with apps that promised to be the next big thing in mobile communications. Yet, many of those fell by the wayside as they failed to achieve the critical mass of users needed to make them useful. After all, apps designed for communicating with others don’t do you much good unless enough folks are using them. While it’s far from the only game in town, one app that’s soared to the top of the digital food chain is WhatsApp. What began in early 2009 as a small project by two former Yahoo engineers to replace SMS struck a chord, acquiring a quarter-million users in its first year and growing to 400 million by the end of 2013. Related • • • Since its 2014 acquisition by Joe Maring/Digital Trends So, what exactly is WhatsApp? At its most basic level, it’s simply a chat app for exchanging messages with your friends, not unlike the SMS text messaging that’s built into nearly every mobile phone. However, the point of WhatsApp was to replace SMS (and the lightly media-capable MMS) with a new platform that could overcome the limitations inherent in the archaic carrier-based messaging services. SMS was, and continues to be, stuck in the dark ages of technology, with 160-character limits and no support for anything other than pure text. Its younger brother, MMS, allows for the exchange of small bits of media, which amount to low-resolution photos and sound bites, but it’s effecti...

Keep the conversation going freely, for free! Instant chats, groups, voice & video calling?—An all-in-one messaging app! Due to its focus on simplicity, WhatsApp witnessed a phenomenal rise in growth. In the last couple of years, the app has introduced several features, including video and voice calls. At the same time, it has retained the lightweight footprint. The conversation window simply focuses on the chat, and lets you send files, emoticons, location, and contacts easily. Compatibility with low-powered smartphones as well as Android Go devices has allowed the platform to attract millions of people from all parts of the country. At first look, WhatsApp serves the same purpose as its competitors like Viber, Skype, and Telegram. However, what makes the app unique is the overflow of advanced features, such as the search function for easy browsing in conversations, ability to star messages to check later, seamless integration of group chats, and of course, easy-to-use interface. Additionally, WhatsApp blends multimedia messaging to make conversations more interesting and fun. Interactive stickers add to the long list of emojis already available in the app. While Viber had the advantage with stickers until a few months ago, it doesn’t anymore. WhatsApp just stepped up its game! Seamless cross-platform calling and chatting When compared to the popular iMessage, Whatsapp has a major advantage. Being platform agnostic, it can be used on any device or operating system. Unlike...