Author Archives: Christine

It has been a week full of news for WhatsAppers. In fact, the world of instant messaging is still debating the announcement given just a couple of days ago by the popular instant messaging app about the introduction of a new encryption technology, and here we are, WhatsApp developers have already released more updates.

So, Windows Phone users get ready to upgrade WhatsApp on their devices with this new 2.16.10 version of WhatsApp for Windows Phone and Windows 10 Mobile. What changes? It seems that there aren’t significant changes besides the usual bug fixes and performance updates. Some users that have already installed this latest 2.16.10 version  are reporting that on Windows 10 Mobile devices such as Lumia 950, 950XL and 1520, issues concerning the font-size have been fixed.

Furthermore, once you download this updated version, you will also notice that the appearance of the app has been improved, with the addition of a wider variety of different screen sizes. And what about the changelog? Well, there is no changelog for this latest 2.16.10 version of WhatsApp for Windows Phone on the Windows Store. Obviously, the end-to-end encryption change is already available.

Jan Koum and Brian Acton (WhatsApp founders) considered it so important that they made the change available on all platforms supporting WhatsApp simultaneously. And while WhatsApp founders explain their choice, stating that “While we recognize the important work of law enforcement in keeping people safe, efforts to weaken encryption risk exposing people’s information to abuse from cybercriminals, hackers, and rogue states.”, some unclear points on this decision are emerging.

If you take a look at WhatsApp’s Privacy page (as probably many of you have already done), you’ll discover that the app may retain the so-called metadata (date and time stamp information): “WhatsApp may retain date and time stamp information associated with successfully delivered messages and the mobile phone numbers involved in the messages, as well as any other information which WhatsApp is legally compelled to collect“. What does it mean? According to the Independent, it means that WhatsApp servers are still potentially vulnerable to hacking or to government requests.

A couple of weeks ago we talked about the intention of some instant messaging companies such as Facebook, WhatsApp, Google and Snapchat to increase their privacy technology, and now it is official: WhatsApp has just rolled out end-to-end encryption for its many users (1 billion all over the world).

It means that now the Facebook-owned app encrypts every message, video, photo or file and WhatsApp call. And this will happen with every platform supporting the app (Android, iPhones, Blackberry, Windows and Nokia). So users who have the most recent version of WhatsApp installed on their devices can be sure that nobody (apart from the sender and the receiver) will be able to access their contents. Even WhatsApp employees will be unable to get into users messages and calls.

This tough decision is a consequence of the battle between Apple and the Department of Justice. WhatsApp has been immediately on Apple’s side in this battle, and Jan Koum, co-founder and CEO of WhatsApp, has used explicit, strong words to support Apple: “I have always admired Tim Cook for his stance on privacy and Apple’s efforts to protect user data … We must not allow this dangerous precedent to be set. Today our freedom and our liberty is at stake.”

You are not sure about the meaning of end-to-end encryption? Let’s see it together. In a few words, end-to-end encryption is a method of communication that allows only the people communicating each other to access messages sent. So we can state that it’s a secure method of communication. Obviously, nowadays this method is not appreciated (actually, quite disapproved) by governments because they can’t access users communications.

With the introduction of end-to-end encryption, instant messaging companies can’t even cooperate with authorities since even them don’t have access to users’ communications. So far WhatsApp has offered a partial service of encryption (for text messages), until now, when the company extended the end-to-end encryption to all types of communications and across every platform that supports the app. By the way: have you received the message that notifies you of this latest decision?

Jan Koum in person has made an official statement through a Facebook post: “We’ve been working for the past two years to give people better security over their conversations on WhatsApp. I’m proud of our team for hitting this milestone: now every message, photo, video, file, and voice message you send, is end-to-end encrypted by default if you and the people you message use the latest version of our app. Even your group chats and voice calls are encrypted. People deserve security. It makes it possible for us to connect with our loved ones. It gives us the confidence to speak our minds. It allows us to communicate sensitive information with colleagues, friends, and others. We’re glad to do our part in keeping people’s information out of the hands of hackers and cyber-criminals.”

What changes now? For users: nothing. For law enforcement and governmental authorities: it will be much more difficult to obtain copies of any communications. What does it mean? That WhatsApp is one of the safest way to communicate. And Brian Acton, WhatsApp co-founder, added his opinion to Koum words, and told Wired magazine that “Building secure products actually makes for a safer world, (though) many people in law enforcement may not agree with that,”

WhatsApp developers really never stop working and almost every day an updated version of the popular app is released. Obviously most of the updates are for the Android platform, but also iPhone, Windows Phone and Nokia platforms regularly receive updates.

So, if you use WhatsApp with a Nokia Symbian device, this post might interest you. In fact, quite surprisingly, the new 2.16.9 Beta version of WhatsApp for Nokia Symbian has just been released, despite the fact that by the end of the year this popular instant messaging app will stop supporting Nokia Symbian devices. What changes with this new 2.16.9 Beta version of WhatsApp for Nokia Symbian?

Not much, nearly nothing. As it often happens with Betas, this latest version simply fixes some bugs and issues coming from previous versions. Unfortunately also this recent update does not bring the long-awaited Voice Calling feature, so we think that is unlikely that we will be able to use this useful feature with Nokia Symbian devices. But if you are still interested in downloading this latest 2.16.9 Beta version of WhatsApp for Nokia Symbian, let’s see how to install it on your device.

First of all keep in mind that this is a Beta version, so it could contain bugs or errors that the developers will fix before releasing the next stable version of the application. Now, to update your device with this 2.16.9 version of WhatsApp for Nokia Symbian you have to open the official WhatsApp website (whatsapp.com/nokia) and download the SIS file to your device.

After the download you have to uninstall the current WhatsApp application from your smartphone. Once you have completed this procedure you can go back to the folder where you’ve saved the 2.16.9 SIS file, tap o it and start the installation of this latest Beta version of WhatsApp for Nokia Symbian.

The new week opens with another update of WhatsApp for Android. Recently the developers of this popular app have released a lot of major updates, and it seems that much more is coming soon.

For example, recently we’ve had the revamp of the Inbuild Camera, or the document sharing feature. So, what else is going to change with this new 2.16.7 Beta version? Unfortunately this time this new Beta version of WhatsApp for Android doesn’t come with any new features, but solves some bugs for Google Drive backup, and that’s equally important.

This new 2.16.7 Beta version of WhatsApp for Android contains all the new features recently added to the app. As we mentioned above,  now Android users are allowed to share pictures and documents from OneDrive or Dropbox cloud or the to send and receive documents. And, of course, we can’t forget the relevant improvements added to the Inbuild Camera.

Other details? The weight of this new APK download file of WhatsApp is 27.6 MB. Furthermore, this new update is compatible with all Android devices. Where can you find and download this new Beta version of WhatsApp for Android?

If you are enrolled in the Beta Testing Program, you can download 2.16.7 Beta version from the Google Play Store. This is a much easier way to download beta versions, because you don’t need to enable the Unknown Sources option before the installation. If you are not enrolled to the Beta Program, you can download the new 2.6.7 version of WhatsApp for Android in the old way, that is through the APK.

You’ve certainly noticed the odd jump in the version number of WhatsApp for Android. Rumours suggest that some important changes might be coming soon, and everybody is waiting for the video call feature (rumours suggest it will be added in a month or two).

Today we have a big surprise for those of you who use WhatsApp through Android devices (and it’s not an April fools). Over the past few months we’ve seen our beloved app going through several updates, major and minor, which have further improved WhatsApp quite a lot.So far one thing has always looked the same: the built-in camera. And now this feature is going to change as well, thanks to this new version 2.16.4 of WhatsApp for Android.

So, what changes? You won’t find anymore the big Holo-blue shutter button, the old flash and switch camera icons and the upper box Send to (Contact). These buttons and icons have been replaced by: a new white shutter button, new flash and switch camera icons, a roll of your most recent images. You can also find a small tip at the top that explains you how to take videos.

And record a video couldn’t be easier. All you have to do is to hold the white coloured shutter button, which switches to red when the video recording starts. It’s even easier to stop recording: all you need to do is lift your fingers. Also the interface for sharing images or videos has been restyled. Now, instead of the big circular grey and white cancel and send icons, you have a new teal-coloured send button.

The caption box has been moved to the bottom of the screen, and now users will be finally able to see the complete image. That being said, let’s see where you can find these latest 2.16.4 and 2.16.5 beta versions of WhatsApp for Android (and, in case you are confused, yes, these numbers are correct: there has been a jump from version 2.12 to version 2.16. And that’s not an April fools too).

These two new versions are not yet on the Play Store’s official beta channel, but you can download them from the APK Mirror links. This is the one to the 2.16.4  version and this is the one to the 2.16.5 version.

We already know that WhatsApp is the most used instant messaging app in the world (with over a billion monthly active users, and this number is expected to grow), and that you can install it on various popular platforms such as iOS, Android and Windows. Another thing we know about WhatsApp is that the service is for free.

But despite its success, the supremacy of WhatsApp is constantly threatened by other instant messaging app like Viber or Telegram, so the Facebook-owned app has engaged a fierce fight to remain the leader in the field of instant messaging. So we can nearly daily witness to a rush to offer users more improvements and new features.

That being said, today we’ll see what changes with this new 2.16.2 version of WhatsApp for Windows Phone. Actually, this latest version brings just a few minor changes, still we think they are enjoyable. The first one allows users to trim the videos before sending them. Furthermore, a video compressor has also been added to the app, and it allows WhatsApp users to compress and easily send big videos.

Another useful feature added with this latest 2.16.2 version is the ability to receive and send documents. Thanks to this new option, users can now not only send photos and videos, but they can also attach documents to their messages. Isn’t it great? Especially if you consider that WhatsApp is now widely used for work reasons. These are the changes, but we are not able to tell you anything about the changelog since it hasn’t been provided.

Obviously, even if it’s just a minor update, we think it’s better that you keep WhatsApp updated on your device. So, if you are convinced and you decide to download and install this latest version of WhatsApp on your Windows Phone device, you can use the following link .

Dear WhatsAppers, if you use your favourite instant messaging app through Android devices, get ready for some important and useful upgrades. In fact there is a new Beta version available (2.12.560) that brings a quick reply option, a new wallpaper selector and multiple selections for people or groups as well. So, let’s see exactly what changes with this new 2.12.560 Beta version of WhatsApp for Android.

First of all let’s see how it works the quick reply feature. How can you use it? When you receive a message you’ll see a window displaying the sender and the text. Now you will be able to expand it and, clicking the ‘Reply’ button, you’ll launch a pop-up that will take a great part of the screen. This feature is quite similar to the one available on iOS.

As we said above, this is not the only change added with this latest 2.12.560 Beta version. Now users will be able to multi-select people or groups, just with a long press. So, for example, if you select a single contact, you can decide if you want to: Archive, Delete, Mute/Unmute, Add chat shortcut, View contact, and Mark as read/unread. Same procedure for a single group, where you can immediately: Archive, Leave group, Mute/unmute, Add chat shortcut, Group info, and Mark as read/unread. And that’s not all. Users will be able to multiple select chats as well.

The last pleasant surprise of this new 2.12.560 Beta version of WhatsApp for Android is the new layout of the wallpaper selector. This new wallpaper selector uses modern Material icons and finally dismiss the old Gingerbread one and also provides users with solid color options.

How can you install this latest 2.12.560 Beta version of WhatsApp on your Android device? If you have not yet joined the official Play Store beta program, you can download it heading to the APK mirror. Or you can wait until this Beta version becomes official via the Play Store.