Author Archives: Christine

They did it again. WhatsApp developers have already updated this popular instant messaging application, and another new Beta (the third in one week) has just been released. It was only yesterday that we were talking about the changes introduced by the beta versions 2.12.413 and 2.12.416, and today we are already talking about downloading the new 2.12.418 Beta version of WhatsApp for Android devices. Incredible, isn’t it? Truth is that this new version doesn’t add any new features, but mainly fixes some bugs, which is always a good thing. How can you download it on your Android device?

Step 1
As usual you will not find this new 2.12.418 beta version on the Google Play Store, but instead on the official WhatsApp website: whatsapp.com/android.

Step 2
Once you are on the WhatsApp website you can download the WhatsApp 2.12.418 APK (installation) file by simply tapping on the “Download Now” green button.

Step 3
At this point you have to enable the “Unknown Sources” option from your device. The procedure is simple, just go to Settings > Security (or Settings > Application, depending on the OS version that you have on your device) and enable this option.

Step 4
Go back to where you’ve saved the APK file and tap on it to start the installation process. That’s it, you’ve now downloaded the latest 2.12.418 Beta version of WhatsApp on your Android device.

But the life of WhatsApp is not always a bed of roses. If it’s true that the Facebook-owned instant messaging app has become the messaging application with the largest numbers of users (last reports talk about over 1 billion monthly active users!), it’s also true that WhatsApp is constantly facing a lot of issues and fierce competition.

For example, just this morning WhatsAppers were really furious because the messaging service went down, and this happened just after the recent disruption experienced on New Year’s Eve. That’s what a spokesperson of WhatsApp said: “Some people have had trouble accessing WhatsApp for a short period today. We’re working to restore service back to 100 per cent for everyone and we apologise for the inconvenience.”

Here we are again to talk about some updates brought to your favourite instant messaging application. In fact today we’ll see what changes with this new 2.12.416 beta version of WhatsApp for Android devices.

First of all, along with the usual bug fixes, this new beta version of WhatsApp allows you to read the privacy policies and terms of use of WhatsApp. To acces them you simply have to go to Menu > Settings > Help. Once you’re here you just have to click on the new button “Terms and Privacy Policy”.

You can notice some changes also in the APK (installation) file, that has also been increased by 400KB. A large numbers of files have been modified (approximately 348). Some of them relate to a completely new function that will enable you to check the security of the files that you receives on WhatsApp. Furthermore, the other important new function which has been introduced allows you to share documents. Voice is that these two new functions will be activated soon by the developers. What else? the platform.png image has been deleted while two brand new images have been added: background.jpg and about_logo.png.

Now let’s see together how you can download this new beta version of WhatsApp on your Android device. First of all remember that it’s a beta, so you won’t find it yet on the Google Play Store. To install it you’ll have to download the beta going to whatsapp.com/android. As always, remember that in order to perform the installation of this new 2.12.416 beta version you also need to enable the “Unknown Sources” option.

This step is important because “Unknown Sources” is the option that allows you to install an APK file that (like in this case) you’ve downloaded from a third party source. So, go to Settings > Security (or Settings > Application, depending on the OS version that you have on your device) and enable this option. Now uninstall the WhatsApp application that you are currently using on your Android. After that go back to where you’ve saved the 2.12.416 APK file and tap on it to launch the installation.

This latest beta comes soon after the release of the beta version 2.12.413 which contained a couple of secrets concerning some security features, secrets that now have been largerly revealed (and debated).  What were those secret features? The first one was a security indicator. What is shown by this indicator is that your conversation is completely encripted. The other feature that was found out is an option that allows WhatsApp to share account information with Facebook. WhatsApp hasn’t made yet any official comment about these two features, but it seems that they will be added in official versions in the future.

What’s new with WhatsApp? It seems that the new year is already confirming the unstoppable growing trend of this popular instant messaging app, which has now almost 1 billion monthly active users. And for the delight of all WhatsAppers, current and future, the company decided to drop permanently the annual fee and let their users enjoy the service for free.

Beside that, the constant hard work of WhatsApp developers is bringing more updates to the service. So people using WhatsApp with devices running with Android, iOS, or Windows Phones or BlackBerry will be able to download new features and to benefit of further performance improvements. Today’s post is for those of you who use WhatsApp with Android devices.

In fact a new Beta version of WhatsApp for Android has just been released, and it’s ready do be downloaded on your Android smartphone. This new version 2.12.411, being a beta, isn’t on the Google Play Store. Therefore, that’s what you have to do to install it on your Android device. You can find the APK (installation) file going to whatsapp.com/android. Once you are on the webpage you simply have to tap on the “Download Now” button (well hilighted in green) to start the download of this new 2.12.411 APK file of WhatsApp.

At this point it is necessary that you enable the “Unknown Sources” option. Why this step is so important? Because “Unknown Sources” is the option that allows you to install an APK file that (like in this case) you’ve downloaded from a third party source. Where can you find the “Unknown Sources” option on your device?  You can find it in Settings > Security (or Settings > Application, depending on the OS version that you have on your device).

So, have you enabled this option? Well, now you can uninstall the WhatsApp application that you are currently using on your Android. After that go back to where you’ve saved the 2.12.411 APK file and tap on it to launch the installation. When the installation is completed you’ll have the latest Beta version of WhatsApp installed on your Android device.

Are you a regular WhatsApper and you own a Nokia? If you enjoy the use of this popular instant messaging app that allows you to send free messages, videos, photos and audio files you will be happy to know that a new beta version of WhatsApp for Symbian S40 devices has just been released, and it’s ready to be downloaded from the official WhatsApp website.

With this latest beta we have reached version 2.13.30. Those who use WhatsApp through Symbian S40 devices (such as Nokia C3 or Nokia Asha 201) are not as many as those who use other platforms like Android or iOS, but luckily WhatsApp developers try not to neglect them  and regularly update the app. So, whats should users expect from this recent update of WhatsApp?

Unfortunately this new 2.13.30 beta version doesn’t add any new feature, but surely it is worth keeping the app updated because this latest version brings further performance improvements and some bug fixes. So don’t be disappointed and always keep in mind that both the download and the app are completely free. Now, let’s see together how to install this new version 2.13.30 on your device.

The procedure is quite simple, but you have to follow it carefully. The first thing you have to do is to uninstall the current WhatsApp application from your Nokia Asha smartphone. Once you’ve completed  this step you need to open the browser on your device and go to the whatsapp.com/s40 website.

On the website you’ll easily find the new beta version 2.13.30 of WhatsApp for Nokia Asha. Download it to your device and pay attention to remember where you’ve saved it. Once the download is completed, go back to where you’ve saved the new WhatsApp beta 2.13.30 and select it in order to start the installation of this latest version of WhatsApp on your Nokia Asha device. It’s quite quick and easy, isn’t it?

Great news for those of you who use WhatsApp with a  BlackBerry 10 smartphone. In fact the popular instant messaging app has been updated to the new beta version 2.12.280.2, and the beta is ready to be downloaded from the BlackBerry Beta Zone.

So, what changes with this new beta version? Let’s see it it together. First of all, this time we have the changelog. Then a few interesting things have been added: for example the support for some additional web client features and also the support for web link previews on messages. Furthermore the organization of phone numbers on the Contact Info Screen has been updated along with some bug fixes and improvements.

If you decide to download this latest beta of WhatsApp, you may need to know that the size of this new version of WhatsApp for BlackBerry 10 is about 20.8MB. Now, how can you download this latest version of WhatsApp on your BlackBerry 10? To download this beta version 2.12.280.2 on your BlackBerry 10 smartphone is quite easy, but you have to be registered in the BlackBerry Beta Zone. After the registration you will be able to install this latest update on your device.

The other important breaking news that we are happy to share with you today is that from now on WhatsApp is completely free forever. Following the recent announcement given by Jan Koum, it is now official that WhatsApp users will never again have to pay their annual fee since it has been permanently cancelled.

And, incredibly, it seems also that the app will not use ads to support itself. WhatsApp owners are clearly aiming to provide a messaging service suitable for everyone, especially in developing nations. That’s what Koum declared: “Many WhatsApp users don’t have a debit or credit card number and they worried they’d lose access to their friends and family after their first year. So over the next several weeks, we’ll remove fees from the different versions of our app and WhatsApp will no longer charge you for our service.“

The year just started seems to be quite a promising one for WhatsAppers, since their beloved app has become completely free. Yes, finally WhatsApp users will never again have to pay the $0.99 annual fee, effective immediately. The news was confirmed by Jan Koum in person at the DLD conference in Bavaria.

So far, as you know, you could use the instant messaging app (the most used in the world, with over  900 million active monthtly users) for free just for the first year, and pay the subscription to keep on using it after that. With this recent decision even this small fee has been cancelled, allowing its many users to enjoy the app for free for ever. After this announcement the public is certainly puzzled, and now wonders how WhatsApp will be able to earn some money. According to Jan Koum, Facebook (which purchased WhatsApp in 2014 for $19bn) is going to help.

The decision has been well explained in a blogpost posted on WhatsApp.com, where WhatsApp stated: “we’re happy to announce that WhatsApp will no longer charge subscription fees. For many years, we’ve asked some people to pay a fee for using WhatsApp after their first year. As we’ve grown, we’ve found that this approach hasn’t worked well. Many WhatsApp users don’t have a debit or credit card number and they worried they’d lose access to their friends and family after their first year. So over the next several weeks, we’ll remove fees from the different versions of our app and WhatsApp will no longer charge you for our service. Naturally, people might wonder how we plan to keep WhatsApp running without subscription fees and if today’s announcement means we’re introducing third-party ads. The answer is no. Starting this year, we will test tools that allow you to use WhatsApp to communicate with businesses and organizations that you want to hear from.”

So, what are these new tools if it’s true what Koum said at the DLD conference, where he confessed that “we haven’t written a single line of code yet“? We expect we won’t have to wait too much.

The undisputed popularity of WhatsApp, the most used instant messaging application in the world with 900 million monthly active users, is proving to be a problem to the app itself. In fact cyber criminals are spreading, again, some malicious software via WhatsApp using email scam. But how is it happening? In a very clever and subtle way.

This newly created malware is being sent via email and is designed in a way that can fool WhatsApp users on Android and iPhones devices. So you are warned: be very careful before opening your email messages because this new virus really looks like it’s been sent by a legitimate source. Those fake email messages contain deceptive subject lines such as “an audio memo was missed” or “new voice message”, followed by a play button.

Clearly the cyber criminals purpose is that the users will open the message with the obvious consequence that they will download the attached virus. The virus, once downloaded, will penetrate their phones. The researchers at Comodo Labs say that even if none of these fake messages come from a WhatsApp address they are “disguised with an umbrella branding”.

So, it is important that you always keep in mind that you will receive all voice and audio memos, notifications and recordings only in the app. But how exactly does this malware spread? Through a compressed ZIP file contained in every scam email. Once downloaded the virus duplicates in multiple systems folders. After that it reaches the computer’s registry where the virus adds itself into an auto-run.

The Director of Comodo Antispam Labs, Daith Orhan, said that “Cybercriminals are becoming more and more like marketers, trying to use creative subject lines to have unsuspecting emails be clicked and opened to spread malware”. So now that you are warned, be careful and try not to be fooled by these dangerous cyber criminals.