Author Archives: Christine

A new Beta version of WhatsApp for Android devices is available for download, and with this latest release we are at version number 2.16.84. The build number of this latest APK of WhatsApp is 451159, and it weighs 27.91 MB. You can install this updated version of WhatsApp on all devices running on Android 2.1 or higher. After all the recent rumours about the addition of new important features, what changes with this latest 2.16.84 Beta version? Unfortunately not to much (for the moment).

It seems in fact that Beta version 2.16.84 simply brings the usual bug fixes and performance improvements. It’s true that the Video-Calling feature has been added, but the service has not yet been activated, so you won’t be able to use it. But, if we are lucky, we will be able to use this long awaited option soon, since it is already in beta testing phase. The download of this latest APK 2.16.84 of WhatsApp for Android devices is extremely easy. You just have to go to this source link, open the file and install it on your device. As simple as that.

We really can’t wait to use the Video-Calling feature, that’s a fact, but there are some other interesting news regarding the Facebook-owned instant messaging app. The first one comes from the biggest rival of WhatsApp: Telegram. Telegram, in its fierce battle against WhatsApp, has just added a feature that can really make a difference and steal a huge amount of users from WhatsApp. With its latest update, Telegram enables its users to edit messages after they’ve sent them. What can we say? Let’s see how WhatsApp’s owners will react.

Now, are you a WhatsApper living in Germany? Well, the instant messaging app has lost its appeal against a German Court, and now the company has to provide its terms and policy in German for users living in that country. Let’s make a step back and see what happened. A couple of years ago WhatsApp was sued by the Federation of German Consumer Associations (Verbraucherzentrale Bundesverband, or VZBV) because, the Association claimed, the app was breaking consumer protection rules.

In 2014 VZBV won the trial, and consequently WhatsApp appealed. Now the preliminary ruling has been confirmed and, if finalized, if WhatsApp does not translate its terms of service and privacy policy into German, it will have to pay an administrative fine of up to €250,000 ($283,000). Will this decision set a precedent? For the moment we have to wait to see whether WhatsApp will be able to appeal again, this time before Germany’s federal supreme court.

Here we are again, talking about our beloved WhatsApp and its new updates. After just a few days from the release of the desktop version of the popular app, we already have great news for its users. The WhatsApp desktop app, available for both Mac and Windows devices, has already received an update and now allows its users to share files.Let’s see how you can do it.

The first thing you need to know is that the file sharing feature has been released both for the web-based version and the desktop version. So, have you already installed it on your desktop? If not, don’t worry, the procedure is quite easy. In order to download the desktop app version of WhatsApp, you simply have to go to WhatsApp’s download center and, from here, download the version you need: Windows or Mac.

After that, the desktop app will open. At this point, grab your smartphone and scan the QR Code. Now WhatsApp will be mirrored on your desktop. If needed, more detailed instructions are given on your Windows or Mac desktop. That’s, as we said, for the desktop app version of WhatsApp. What if you prefer the web-based version? You just need to go to https://web.whatsapp.com/ and scan the QR Code.

Now that you are able to use WhatsApp from your desktop, let’s see how you can send a document to one of your contact on your desktop. First step: click the paperclip symbol located in the top right corner. Now the drop-down menu will be displayed, where you will find the options to share a photo or a video, take a photo with the webcam or to share a document. If the last one is the option you were looking for, just click on Document and select the file you want to share with  your WhatsApp contact.

Thanks to this new feature, now you’ll be able to share with your WhatsApp contacts PDFs, Word documents and PowerPoint presentations, comfortably from your computer.

It seems that the debate around the decision taken by WhatsApp owners to provide their service of end-to-end encryption has not yet come to an end. The last statement on the matter was given by James Comey, FBI Director. This week Comey, during the “National Security Telecommunications Advisory Committee“, made it clear why he is against the use of encrypted messaging adopted by services like WhatsApp.

Comey stated that “WhatsApp has over a billion customers, overwhelmingly good people, but in that billion customers are terrorists and criminals, so that now-ubiquitous feature of all WhatsApp products will affect both sides of the house,”. Obviously this statement generated further and strong reactions on the web, where the general opinion is that for each service such WhatsApp or Telegram the FBI shuts down, there will be another messaging service to replace them.

It is no mystery that the relationship between the Facebook-owned app and governments is often difficult, we have already talked about this subject on this blog, and what happened this week further confirm this fact. On occasion of Ugandan president Yoweri Museveni re-election for the fifth term and swearing cerimony, there has been for the second time in three months a total social media blackout. According to journalists and digital watchdog nonprofits in the country, starting from 11th May until the 12th, internet service providers were ordered to block access to Twitter, Facebook and WhatsApp.

Jeff Wokulira Ssebaggala, chief executive of Unwanted Witness, a Ugandan nonprofit that advocates for freedom of speech, said that “The government knows that Museveni was not rightly elected by the majority of citizens… thus, it fears that citizens might organize online and cause an upraising [like] the Arab-spring,” .

Ugandan government’s restrictive attempts to manage the media, simply confirm the importance and the unstoppable power that messaging applications such as WhatsApp now have in every field of our everyday life.

Further improvements are available for those of you who use WhatsApp through Android devices. The new Beta version 2.16.73 has just been released and promises to be very interesting since it adds some new features along with performance improvements. Furthermore, this latest update of WhatsApp for Android confirms the forthcoming addition of the Video Calling feature also on Android devices (option that will soon be added on iPhones too).

So, what changes with this 2.16.73 Beta version of WhatsApp for Android devices? First of all the APK (installation) file, which was increased with 218KB. Then, more than 300 files has been modified and 1 thumbnails file has been deleted. This latest Beta 2.16.73 Beta version also contains 2 new files: “ic_chat_icon_change_arrow.png” and “conversation_row_photo_change.xml” . Now that we’ve seen what changes, let’s see how to install Beta version 2.16.73 on your Android device.

Good news if you are a beta tester: this latest Beta is already available on the Google Play Store, so you can download it easily and rapidly. If you are not a beta tester don’t worry, you can still follow the old procedure, that is equally easy. The first thing you have to do is to head to whatsapp.com/android and download the WhatsApp 2.16.73 APK file.

Now, in order to complete the installation, you have to enable the “Unknown Sources” option going to Settings>Applications (or Settings>Security). Once you have enabled the Unknown Sources option you can go to the location where you have saved the APK file. At this point you have to follow just one more step to complete the installation of WhatsApp 2.16.73 APK file.Are you ready? Because now you can tap on the APK file and the installation will start. When the installation is complete, you will have the new 2.16.73 Beta version of WhatsApp installed on your Android device.

That’s all for today dear readers. There’s a good chance that next time we’ll tell you how to install the new Video Calling feature.

A few days ago on this blog we’ve talked about some rumours (actually they were more than rumours, since leaked screenshots were posted on Twitter by WABetaInfo) that reported the important development of new native desktop apps for both Mac and Windows. Well, today we are finally able to confirm the news, and it has been WhatsApp itself who officially announced the introduction of these completely new apps through a post on its blog.

That’s what the post says, explaining to WhatsApp users how and why they should use these new apps: “Today we’re introducing a desktop app so you have a new way to stay in touch anytime and anywhere – whether on your phone or computer at home or work. Like WhatsApp Web, our desktop app is simply an extension of your phone: the app mirrors conversations and messages from your mobile device. The new desktop app is available for Windows 8+ and Mac OS 10.9+ and is synced with WhatsApp on your mobile device. Because the app runs natively on your desktop, you’ll have support for native desktop notifications, better keyboard shortcuts, and more. To download the app, visit https://www.whatsapp.com/download from your desktop browser. Then, open the app and scan the QR code using the WhatsApp app on your phone (look for WhatsApp Web menu under Settings). Just like WhatsApp Web, the new desktop app lets you message with friends and family while your phone stays in your pocket.”

Even if you still need to scan a QR Code using the WhatsApp mobile app, as you usually did in order to use WhatsApp Web, it really seems that this new app it’s much easier and faster to install. This new tool, already available on Facebook Messenger, will further help WhatsApp to maintain its leading role in the instant messaging world, that’s for sure. And probably in a few months the current 1 billion monthly active users will be much more.

During the last few months we’ve witnessed a huge debate generated by the decision of WhatsApp owners to introduce end-to-end encryption to further secure its users safety and privacy. And while users all over the world seem to appreciate this service, some governments (first of all USA government) don’t think that the instant messaging app should push security this far. But this problem doesn’t seem to exist anymore, since another flaw in the security system has arisen.

In fact a new research has demonstrated that hackers can easily breach the security system of WhatsApp and Telegram and even impersonate their targets. The main flaw is the Signaling System n. 7 (or SS7). What is SS7? It is an international telecommunications protocol standard developed in 1975 that allows different mobile operators to exchange information over a signalling network. Well, now Positive Technologies reports that SS7 is vulnerable and hackers with even basic skills could perform dangerous attacks, leading to data leaks, financial loss or disruption of services.

And apps like WhatsApp, Telegram, Facebook and Viber use an authentication system that is routed through SS7 signalling, that’s why hackers could be able to steal users’ identity and impersonate them (virtually). Positive Technologies explains that for their experiment it was used just a simple Linux-based computer and a SDK. This shows that potential hackers don’t even need sophisticated tools. According to Positive Technologies, the main problem is that the SS7 signalling technology, since 1975, has never been really updated.

But this problem is not new to security experts, who, in 2014 during the 31st Chaos Communication Congress held in Germany, gave a warning about its lack of security measures. And that’s what Alex Mathews, technical manager EMEA of Positive Technologies, affirms concluding the last report of Positive Technologies: “Service providers such as WhatsApp need to consider introducing additional mechanisms to verify the identity of users to stay secure“.

The week couldn’t end in a better way for WhatsApp users. There is in fact a new stable version of WhatsApp for Android available for the download. This latest stable version 2.16.65 (build number 451140) adds a nice new feature which will enable users to send invitations via links. However, this new option has not yet been activated by the developers, but it will certainly be activated soon.

Along with this new feature, this latest version of WhatsApp for Android brings further bug fixes and performance improvements. The installation file (APK) of version 2.16.65 has been increased by 43KB, and in it you can find two new files  related to the new Invitations feature (“share_invite_link.xml” and “accept_invite_link.xml”), while 378 files have been modified.

So, how can you install this latest 2.16.65 version of WhatsApp for Android? As we said above, this is a stable version, so you can easily find it on the Google Play Store. In order to download it on your Android device, you just have to search for the app on the Store and then install it. As simple as that. Last but not least, this latest version works with Android 2.1 and above devices.

Talking about new updates, it seems that the release of the much awaited Video Calling feature is very close. Some screenshots of a new beta version of WhatsApp for iOS have been leaked and, according to PhoneRadar, the interface is similar to Facebook Messenger. Furthermore, it seems that the “Video Call” icon has been added on the top right corner of the chat window, close to the Voice Call option.

We really can’t wait to use it. Allowing users to make video calls will be another turning point for this successfull Facebook-owned instant messaging app, that’s for sure. Recent statistics report that in the United States the popularity of mobile devices providing video calling feature is increasing, and certainly WhatsApp doesn’t want to lose this chance.