Somewhat careless wording by Wikileaks has led to widespread reports than messaging apps that use end-to-end encryption – like Signal and WhatsApp – had been compromised by the CIA. There is in fact no evidence that this is the case.
WhatsApp is introducing a new feature in its app called Status that uses a similar format to Snapchat Stories, TechCrunch reports. Like messaging through WhatsApp, however, Status will bring encryption to the popular format.
Update: Updated with a response from WhatsApp, below.
A security researcher has found a backdoor in the end-to-end encryption system used by the WhatsApp messaging service. The vulnerability would allow Facebook to read messages sent through the supposedly secure system, as well as making it possible for the company to comply with court orders to make messages available to governments and law enforcement.
While end-to-end encryption would normally mean that not even the company operating the service can decrypt messages, only the intended recipient, the specific implementation used in WhatsApp includes a major security hole …
WhatsApp is a popular messaging service worldwide, and it’s also one that tends to stay on top of adding new features. In recent months, the app has added the ability to send GIFs, but now that’s being taken further with integrated Giphy search directly within the app…
WhatsApp has announced that the latest update to its messaging app offers video calls with end-to-end encryption. The feature had previously been available to some beta users.
The company’s blog post appears to take a little dig at iPhone pricing in passing, with Apple’s iOS-only FaceTime app the best-known video chat app to include full end-to-end encryption.
We’re introducing this feature because we know that sometimes voice and text just aren’t enough. There’s no substitute for watching your grandchild take her first steps, or seeing your daughter’s face while she’s studying abroad. And we want to make these features available to everyone, not just those who can afford the most expensive new phones …
When Facebook bought secure messaging app WhatsApp for $19B back in 2014, the company was careful to reassure users that its commitment to privacy would not be in any way compromised. WhatsApp has today updated its privacy policy to allow it to share both phone numbers and analytics data with Facebook.
Messaging apps are among the most important — and indeed most used — by millions and millions of users every day, so it is only logical for them to implement new features as they evolve.
WhatsApp, despite being used by over a billion users, has remained a fairly simplistic chat app over the years, but things seem to be changing…
The extremely popular messaging service WhatsApp — which now counts over a billion active users — is growing as an increasingly more complex and feature rich app.
After launching things such as end-to-end encryption, Google Drive support for backup and even a desktop client last week, it now seems like it is looking to enter the video-calling space…
Today, WhatsApp is announcing that all messages, photos, phone calls and videos sent over its messaging app will be encrypted end-to-end. This means that no one can access any communications apart from the people in the conversation. This means if WhatsApp is subpoenaed by government for information, WhatsApp will not be able to help them as it simply cannot help them.
WhatsApp is preparing a new set of features for its Android users, many of which have been on my wish-list for many years, and have perhaps been the biggest causes of my disdain for the popular messaging app. The new beta, WhatsApp version 2.12.560, rolled out today and features (among other things) quick reply, solid wallpapers and new multiple-selection tools and options.
WhatsApp has started rolling out a new document uploading feature to its Android app users. This new attachment option has been showing up for a number of WhatsApp users (including myself) and allows you to upload PDFs. It’d be surprising if this wasn’t expanded to include other document formats in the future.
WhatsApp has been testing the new emoji introduced as part of Unicode 9.0 since early December. The beta test is now over and they are rolling out (as spotted by Android Police) a score of new emoji to users today.
In Alphabet’s earnings call today, Google CEO Sundar Pichai mentioned that Gmail has joined a list of 6 other Google services that now have more than 1 billion active monthly users. The other services include Search, Android, Maps, Chrome, YouTube, and Google Play.
To go along with the announcement, Google posted a really creepy video on Twitter:
Thanks a billion for helping us make Gmail better and better!https://t.co/Rd82YqwGjl
— Gmail (@gmail) February 1, 2016
WhatsApp also announced on its blog today that the service has passed the same milestone.
As of today, one billion people are using WhatsApp.
That’s nearly one in seven people on Earth who use WhatsApp each month to stay in touch with their loved ones, their friends and their family.
While Gmail and WhatsApp may now have more than 1 billion active monthly users, both apps have long since passed the 1 billion stall mark on the Google Play Store. Speaking of that—it’s been a while since we’ve seen a new 1 billion+ install app. It’s probably time.
WhatsApp’s founder Jan Koum has announced today that the widely-used messaging service is now free to customers. The Facebook-owned company is dropping its subscription service immediately. While it’s only 99 cents per year to use WhatsApp‘s multi-platform messenger app, Koum states that the annual subscription was still a barrier to some users…
Android Police spotted that WhatsApp is testing a new version of the app containing scores of new emojis in line with the web version and iPhone app.
There are new facial expressions for hugs, upside down smiles, dollar signs, rolling eyes, nerds, and extreme sadness, among others. There is a new sign of the horns gesture that joins the previously added vulcan (Spock) salute and raised middle finger. Family emojis have been extended with the addition of plenty of LGBT choices. Among other novelties, the nature tab sees a turkey, shamrock, spider, unicorn; the food tab has a popcorn box, popped champagne bottle, taco, burrito, hot dog; and sports/activities get their separate tab and now include racing cars, medals, ice skating, volleyball, weightlifting, and a quirky levitating man in a business suit.
The emojis have also been reorganized – so if you can no longer find the hearts, that’s because they’ve moved from faces to symbols.
If you’re too impatient to wait for the new version to hit the Play Store, you can download it today …
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Popular messaging app WhatsApp, which has nearly one billion active users, has today started a shady method of discouraging its users from switching to one of its primary competitors, Telegram. Telegram has been gaining in popularity recently and WhatsApp clearly is threatened by that. With a silent update pushed to WhatsApp this morning, the company began blocking links to Telegram.
Last week, WhatsApp announced that it will be bringing a much-needed feature to its Android app: Google Drive backups. While the updated version of the app hasn’t hit the Google Play Store yet, you can already download it directly from WhatsApp and install the Drive backup-equipped app on your phone now. Installing it couldn’t be simpler:
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Google today announced that WhatsApp on Android — the popular messaging platform Facebook acquired a couple years back for $19 billion— is integrating the ability to backup content directly to Google Drive from within the app. That means that WhatsApp users will be able to quickly make a secure backup of their chat history, voice messages, photos, and videos and have it accessible from their Google accounts.
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WhatsApp for Android has received a worthwhile set of improvements in the latest update, now available via Google Play.
You can now set custom notifications for individual contacts and/or groups, allowing you to choose tone, vibration, popup notification and light settings for particular contacts. You can also mark a chat as unread, and there’s a low data usage option for voice calls. As noted by NDTV, there are also a few more enhancements …
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Google announced today that it’s now allowing Android users to send messages via third-party services like WhatsApp and Viber using its “OK Google” voice control feature:
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Facebook Messenger is a quite well-designed messaging app available on both Android and iOS, and now you don’t even need to a Facebook account to use it.
Following Google Play Books passing 1 billion installs earlier today (the 9th app on that list), Facebook Messenger has now officially passed the same landmark, making it the 10th app on the Play Store to do so. I think it’s fair to attribute this to Messenger’s growing adoption since Facebook required that it be installed on iOS devices. It’s still not required for messaging on Android, however.
While several other apps have also passed this mark, only two other apps not created by Google have done so. Facebook’s own official Facebook client is one, while the other is the Facebook-owned WhatsApp client (which notably passed the 1 billion install mark long before Messenger). It’s clear that Zuckerberg and co. have a foothold on the Play Store that no other company does.
WhatsApp got Material Design in beta a few versions ago (and most avid users of the service have probably been on that version for a while), but now the official Play Store listing has been updated to version 2.12.84, bringing Material Design with it.
Other than a visual overhaul, this version doesn’t appear to pack any substantial changes. It was just recently, however, that the app was updated to bring voice calling to all users—another feature that WhatsApp had been testing for months before it was pushed to the masses.
You can grab the latest version of WhatsApp on the Play Store for free.
