disappears from many mobile phones and makes important changes
Come March, the queen of instant messaging apps on Spanish mobile phones is changing forever. From the first day of the third month of the year, WhatsApp users will be able to see how this application from the universe of Mark Zuckerberg, the owner of the company, takes another step in ensuring the security of conversations taking place on its platform.
WhatsApp scams have grown and improved in recent months. Cybercriminals have moved from SMS scams to email and now WhatsApp. With 3 billion users worldwide, cybercriminals have found a vulnerability they can exploit.
Scammers pretend to be a famous person who has allegedly lost their mobile phone in order to ask for money or help. “Modus operandi” has certain patterns, but recently it has focused on job offers through recruiters. The new WhatsApp update, Meta assures, will warn about this type of fraud. Using several algorithms, the company is working to automatically detect phishing or spam attempts. “The notification will be visible before the user enters the chat, so they can end the conversation directly without opening it,” its developers say.
But this is not the only change aimed at improving user privacy. Screenshots of profile photos will be banned from March to protect users’ identities and prevent identity theft. For now, pictures of conversations for gossip purposes are still allowed, although they cause a lot of fights, breakups, and a lot of invasions of privacy.
The new update also improves the usability of conversations as WhatsApp allows you to search messages by date in chats since March. All you have to do is click on the calendar icon that appears when you click on the magnifying glass symbol, which we usually use to search for something by word. In addition, users will be able to place lists, text quotes, and code blocks in texts.
Interaction with other applications
However, the most important change comes from opening up this messaging app to other tools. This version of Whatsapp, according to several specialist media, will allow you to read and send messages to other platforms, which are expected to be Telegram, Signal and iMessage, among others, and this can be done without leaving the application.
This is due to European Union rules and its Digital Markets Act, which requires tech companies to be compatible with each other rather than being watertight compartments. Initially it will be available in text and voice messages, images, videos and files and later it will also apply to calls and group chats and the user can decide whether to use it or not.
Goodbye to these phones
All these new features are available from March 1st and will arrive on devices in various update packages, both iOS and Android. Although there will be those who will not receive this new version.
On September 30, an update was released that prevents certain devices from being updated, such as mobile phones running Android 4.0.1 or earlier and devices running iOS 12 or earlier. Previously, this also happened on July 1st.
And here it is again: starting today, several mobile devices from brands such as Samsung, LG, Huawei, Sony, iPhone and others will lose the ability to access the popular messaging application WhatsApp. Affected models include Samsung Galaxy Core, LG Optimus F5, Huawei Ascend G740, Sony Xperia M, iPhone 6S and many more.