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WhatsApp is dropping the $1 annual fee
WhatsApp, the $19 billion dollar messaging service is dropping its $1 annual fee. Founder Jan Koum revealed the news on stage at this year's DLD conference, explaining that the buck-a-year charge might not sound like much, but still prevents many people from using the service -- in particular, those without access to card payments. If WhatsApp wants to become the messaging service of the masses (and it's well on its way), it needs to be entirely free, much like most of its competition.
Brazil temporarily shuts down WhatsApp messenger (updated)
If you've seen "WhatsApp" trend on Twitter lately, it's because a judge in Sau Paulo, Brazil has ordered for the messaging app to be shut down for 48 hours, starting at 9PM Eastern yesterday. WhatsApp is huge in Brazil: it has a whopping 93 million users in the country, so this development affects a large number of people. That's most likely the reason a rival app called Telegram Messenger has been seeing rapid adoption in Brazil, amassing 1.5 million new users in the past few hours.
WhatsApp reportedly blocks links to its chat rival Telegram
Not long ago, social networkers accused Facebook of blocking mentions of potential rival Tsu.co. Well, Facebook's supposedly at it again... and this time, you're more likely to notice. Telegram and its users claim that WhatsApp is blocking any links to the privacy-oriented messaging service. You can see the addresses, but you can't tap or copy them. While only some people are seeing this behavior, there's no mistaking it when it turns up.
Bangladesh blocks Facebook and chat apps to stop 'crimes'
To call things tense in Bangladesh would be an understatement: the country recently executed two high-profile leaders for decades-old war crimes, and ISIS (aka Daesh) claims to have killed an Italian priest. However, its government may have gone overboard in attempting to silence this unrest. The country's officials have blocked Facebook and multiple chat apps (including Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp and Viber) on the grounds that they're being used to "carry out crimes." Just what those activities are isn't clear, but Bangladesh silenced messaging apps earlier this year to discourage protests. It wouldn't be surprising if officials are once again treating online censorship as a national security tool -- cut the internet chatter and the protesters (both for and against executions) potentially go away.
WhatsApp for Android will use Google Drive to back up your data
The more we rely on our smartphones for every facet of our lives, the more risk there is of losing important data if your phone gets lost, stolen or destroyed. Android already has some backup services built in, but the massively popular chat client WhatsApp has just announced a partnership with Google to make sure its 900 million users don't lose anything important to them. Starting today, WhatsApp users on Android will have the option to back up their entire WhatsApp history right to Google Drive. The backup will include chat histories, voice messages, photos and video, and you'll be able to restore all of that data to a new phone when you set up WhatsApp.
Facebook-owned WhatsApp reaches 900 million monthly active users
WhatsApp has grown tremendously from the time Facebook acquired it in 2014 for $19 billion. The messaging app's founder, Jan Koum, has just announced on Facebook that the service has reached 900 million monthly active users (MAU). That means it has gained 100 million new ones in less than five months since Koum celebrated reaching 800 million subscribers in April. That number isn't too far off from its parent company's either, which announced 1.49 billion MAUs as of June this year. In comparison, Facebook's own Messenger app reached 700 million MAUs in June, mostly due to its split from the social network's main application. Considering the app has been installed at least a billion times on Android, the new user count isn't that surprising. We just hope its continued success doesn't lead to even more divorces in Italy.
WhatsApp for web is now iOS friendly
Facebook-owned chat messenger WhatsApp launched a web client earlier this year, but the QR code you need to scan to access it didn't work for iOS devices. If you felt left out that time, update your app and check for "WhatsApp Web" in the Settings section, because the web client is now available for iOS users. Just go to web.whatsapp.com -- you can now see the iPhone listed among its supported devices -- and access "WhatsApp Web" on your iOS app's Settings to scan the QR code that appears on your computer. Once that's done, your conversations will sync, and you can start chatting on the web. Note, however, that the web client is just an extension of the mobile app, so it won't work if your iPhone's not connected to the internet. [Image credit: Jan Persiel/Flickr]
Tell Android to send your texts through apps like WhatsApp or WeChat
Sure, the Google search box in Android lets you dictate regular text messages, but what if your conversations live in a non-standard chat app? You can relax as of today. Google now supports using your voice to send messages in English through a handful of third-party services, including WhatsApp, Viber, NextPlus, Telegram and WeChat. All you have to do is name the service when you're issuing the command -- "send a WhatsApp message to Bob" will make sure that your friend gets your missive where he's expecting it. More apps and languages are in the cards, so don't despair if your favorite mode of communication isn't compatible right away.
WhatsApp's voice calls arrive on iOS
When its calling feature hit Android gadgets a couple weeks ago, WhatsApp founder Brian Acton said the tool would make its way to iOS soon enough. Well, today's the day. WhatsApp calling is rolling out to folks wielding Apple devices, allowing you to chat with friends and family around the world. If you'll recall, the feature uses WiFi rather than a data connection, so you won't have to worry about international rate hikes. While the new version of the app is already available at iTunes, the release notes warn that the calling feature is rolling out slowly, so it may not be available for you immediately.
WhatsApp voice calls now work on Android
WhatsApp's long-promised voice calling is now available on Android.
Beyond Facebook: What you need to know about texting apps
If you live in the United States, you might've been surprised when Facebook purchased WhatsApp for $19 billion -- or, in other words, thing-you'd-think-you'd-have-heard-of money. Facebook identified what those of us in the US with texting plans and Apple Messages haven't noticed: There are whole ecosystems of social networking and instant messaging separate from those we customarily use. There are a number of advantages services like Line and WhatsApp have over basic texting: They're cross-platform and international, allowing people to talk to other users in other countries, on other devices and other networks, with no extra cost. Of course, for individual users, there's only one thing that distinguishes one service from others: the presence of their friends.
WhatsApp makes web client compatible with Firefox and Opera
Next time you have to access WhatsApp on your desktop, you won't need to fire up Chrome if it's not your preferred browser. The messenger's web client now works on both Firefox and Opera, giving you more choices on the computer, though you'll still obviously have to settle if you're a Safari fan. That's pretty much all that's changed: the sign up process remains the same, so you will be prompted to scan a QR code with the mobile app in order to start using the web client like we mentioned when the product launched. Unfortunately, that also means iPhones still don't have the capability to scan that QR code (Windows Phone, BlackBerry and Android devices can), forcing faithful iOS users to stick to their mobile devices.
Facebook and Instagram get knocked offline... for about an hour
Snowmageddon might not be all that fun those experiencing it on the East Coast, but it could well be affecting the rest of us too. Starting around 1am ET, Facebook and Instagram were both inaccessible, as well as apps that require FB credentials. Tinder, for exmaple, also went down in the process -- globally. (We saw problems accessing servers across the US, Europe and Asia.) We've also seen Hipchat and, er, AIM also knocked offline at the same time. Snow in the servers? Or maybe it was a DDoS attack? We don't know just yet. Facebook and Instagram have just come back after an hour. Interestingly, as TechCrunch noted, Facebook's other app, WhatsApp went strong through out.
Daily Roundup: All things Windows 10, cryptocurrency, tiny synths and more!
Microsoft showed off the latest Windows 10 features today and also shook things up with a few other announcements -- like Windows Holographic (!). In other news of note, WhatsApp makes the jump to desktop, we take a stab at explaining cryptocurrency and Teenage Engineering comes out with an adorable set of synths you can fit in your pocket. Get reading for details on these stories and more!
WhatsApp finally comes to the web, but doesn't jibe with iOS
Well, those leaks were spot on. WhatsApp founder Jan Koum just announced (via Facebook, naturally) that the hugely popular messaging company has launched a web client that'll let users fire off messages from inside the desktop version of Google Chrome. As Koum points out, WhatsApp for the web is only an extension of the mobile apps you're already familiar with, meaning all of your lengthy conversations and exchanges still live primarily on your phone. Make no mistake: WhatsApp is still the epitome of a mobile-first company. Just to ram that point home, the (characteristically simple) setup process requires you to scan a QR code from the mobile app of your choosing. For now though, the client only plays nice with Android, BlackBerry, BlackBerry 10 and Windows Phone versions of the app -- Koum fingered "platform limitations" as the reason why iOS users can't join in on the fun.
Strings is a messaging service that lets you delete those drunk texts
It's still early enough in January that if you promise not to drunkenly text pictures of your behind to your friends, it still counts as a New Year's Resolution. Still, in an age where everyone's off-hand conversations can be made public in a flash, it'd be nice to regain some control of where our words are shared. That's where Strings comes in, since the iOS app is a rival to Snapchat and WhatsApp that clearly hopes to foster a consent culture around mobile messaging.
Arrivederci: WhatsApp cited in 40 percent of adulterous Italian divorces
Technology can bring people together... and tear them apart, apparently. The Italian Association of Matrimonial Lawyers claims that WhatsApp chats are cited as evidence in 40 percent of Italian divorce cases where cheating is involved. Reportedly, a lot of these less-than-faithful spouses can't help but message their lovers, whether it's to whisper sweet nothings or send sexy photos. In some cases, lawyers say they've seen people juggle "three or four" partners through WhatsApp at one time -- probably not how the developers pictured people using their service.
Dropbox Carousel comes to iPad and web today, Android tablets soon
Ever since the first cloud storage services hit the web, they've been a prime destination for thousands upon thousands of uploaded photos. Unfortunately, many of those services don't have polished user interfaces that allow for easy viewing and sharing -- unless you're just a big fan of file manager-esque folders and list views. In April, Dropbox debuted Carousel, an app that seeks to solve that problem by grouping your images together by date and letting you scroll through endless years of photos and sharing your favorites with friends and family. The service was only offered on iPhones and Android smartphones until today, when Dropbox announced that it's now available for iPads and the web, with support for Android tablets coming in the coming weeks.
WhatsApp brings end-to-end encryption to its Android app
WhatsApp Android users won't even need to lift a finger to take advantage of the strongest encryption yet for a major mobile messaging client. The app's latest Android update will include strong end-to-end encryption by default, which means your messages are only visible to you and the person you're chatting with, The Verge reports. Most importantly, the company won't be able to decrypt messages on its own, even if they receive requests from law enforcement. It's a step above the chat encryption Google and Facebook offer, which they could possibly decrypt. WhatsApp tapped Open Whisper Systems, developer of the secure called app Signal and TextSecure, to implement the encryption. While there's no shortage of secure messaging apps out there, WhatsApp's move is significant because it's a big automatic security upgrade for a good chunk of its more than 600 million users. Unfortunately, there's no word yet when the feature will reach iPhone users.
Whatsapp's read receipts finally work the way you thought they did
Chances are, you've been interpreting Whatsapp wrong this entire time. Most people look at their sent messages, see those double green checkmarks, and assume those missives have been read by their recipients. Not quite! Those only indicate that they've reached the pal in question, but the Facebook subsidiary finally changed those checks to work the way you thought they did. According to a newly updated tidbit in Whatsapp's FAQ, you'll be greeted by a pair of blue checkmarks on your message when the recipient finally gets around to opening it. It's a minor, if terribly useful addition to the mix -- now that that's out of the way, the team might want to spend a little team seeing how it can make the service a bit more secure.
