Author Archives: Christine

New week, new update. For those of you who use WhatsApp through Symbian S40 devices such as Nokia Asha 201 or Nokia C3, another update of this popular instant messaging app has been released. What changes with this new WhatsApp version 2.13.21? Unfortunately not much, but instead it brings several bug fixes (which is obviously good). If you decide to install this latest version you’ll also notice that the installation file (jar) has decreased of 1KB and that there are 14 files modified (which is another good news because it often means that the developers are working on something new).

Nothing has changed also in the procedure to install this latest update on your Nokia Asha device. So, first step: uninstall the version of WhatsApp that you are currently using on your device. After that you can download the 2.13.21 jar file that you can find here: whatsapp.com/s40. Once you’ve downloaded the installation file you simply need to tap on it to start the installation process of this stable version of WhatsApp for Symbian S40 devices. Once the installation process is completed, in order to log into your WhatsApp account, it’s necessary that you use your mobile phone number to get it verified.

If you use WhatsApp, you’ll probably be curious to know more about the history of the founders of this popular app. Today we’ll talk about Jan Koum. Did you know that Koum was born in a poor town outside Kiev (Ukraine) in 1976? He moved to the United States with his mother when he was 16 and at first they lived on welfare and used food stamps. Koum was really smart, so, while attending high school, he was able to learn more about computers just by buying manuals from a local store (actually he returned them after he finished reading them).

While attending San Jose State University he worked for Ernst & Young as a security tester, and this job really turned his life because he met Brian Acton (who was a Yahoo employee). Long story short, they founded WhatsApp until, in 2012, they were noticed by Mark Zuckerberg, but at that time nothing happened until 2014, when Facebook bought WhatsApp for $19 billion. Always in 2014 Koum entered the Forbes list of the 400 richest Americans (position 62), becoming the highest-ranked newcomer to the list that year.

Today WhatsApp has 900 million active users over the world. Sometimes fairy tales really do happen.

It’s clearly a hard job to keep a popular app such as WhatsApp always updated and well functioning, and it’s evident that WhatsApp developers can never rest. Luckily to help them in there job there are those users that test the new versions soon after their release and that report possible bugs or other kind of problems. This important and useful procedure allows all the other users to download safer and better versions of our beloved instant messaging app.

And the latest APK of WhatsApp for Android, with several bug fixes, is a clear example of this kind of cooperation. As usual this APK is not yet available on the Google Play Store, but can be downloaded from the Internet. So, if you decide to download it, remember to pay attention: you won’t find it on  the official website (where instead you’ll find the previous version). What changes with this latest update? Really not much. At least nothing that we can already see.

As said, version 2.12.365 of WhatsApp for Android doesn’t bring any new features, but several bug fixes. Some files have been removed so now the installation file is smaller: from 23.25 MB it’s been decreased to 19.87 MB. Unfortunately we can’t tell you what files have been removed since the official changelog has not been provided by the developers of WhatsApp.

Probably you are a little bit disappointed because you were excited by the idea of a new function, but have you considered all the features that have been added to WhatsApp only during the last few months (think about the Voice Calling or the Starred Messages features, just to mention a couple of them)? Maybe it was obvious that the Facebook-owned service needed an uneventful period like this, even if we are convinced that they are preparing something big for the near future.

Yes, after only one week we already have a new Beta version of WhatsApp which will enhance the performances of your Nokia Asha devices. In fact Beta version 2.13.18 has been released and, as usual, will run on Symbian S40 and Nokia Asha devices (therefore on Nokia Asha 201 and Nokia C3 as well). Even if Nokia users are not as  many as those of Android, it seems that WhatsApp developers care about them, and are regularly updating the messaging service for the Nokia platform.

If you expect to find some new features coming with this new version 2.13.18, well, you’ll be disappointed. But the disappointment will soon be replaced by the joy of using a well functioning app. In fact version 2.13.18 brings bug fixes and is much more stable than the previous one. The installation file contains 1519 modified files (remarkable, isn’t it?) while the thumbnails file have been deleted and other 61 files were added. So, now that we’ve explained what updates have been brought with this new Beta version 2.13.18, let’s see how to install it on your Symbian S40.

First of all remember that you have to download the installation (jar) file manually from the internet. So, grab your Nokia Asha device, open the browser and go to whatsapp.com/s40 webpage. Once you are on the site, in order to upgrade your Nokia Asha with the latest beta version of WhatsApp, select the “Download Button”  and the download of the jar file will start. When the download is completed, you simply have to go back to where you’ve saved it and select it to start the installation process. It’s easier than it seems.

But now let’s talk about some curious statistics that regard WhatsApp, we know that many of you love them. Did you know that in Spain among women WhatsApp is more used than Facebook? It’s the result of a research conducted in September by internetAcademy. And in Brazil? WhatsApp is the leader among men and women while in Germany teenagers use WhatsApp more than Facebook. The thread that links all this data? WhatsApp is a huge success.

If you use WhatsApp through a Windows Phone device, you will certainly be happy to know that a new updated version of your favourite messaging app has been released. This latest beta 2.12.198 brings some improvements and some interesting new features that, for the moment, only the users who joined the beta program are able to test. Unfortunately all the other users will have to wait until version 2.12.198 becomes a stable one because, as happened before with the other betas, this latest version 2.12.198 isn’t available on the Windows Store.

That said, let’s see what are the updates introduced with this latest beta. Much of these improvements concern the Starred Messages feature. In fact, with this new version of WhatsApp for Windows Phone, users can select or deselect favourite messages and, to reach the starred messages folder, a new shortcut has been added at the bottom menu. Furthermore, it is now possible to star messages straight inside the chats.

For now these marked messages will not show the name of the contact who sent them, but just the date and the time. For today it seems that there aren’t other news about what else developers are doing to update WhatsApp for Windows Phone since they haven’t provided a change log. Let’s see what happens during the next few weeks.

Sadly the web and instant messaging apps are not always used by the right people, and today we are often witnessing a criminal use of the internet. According to Vulcan Post, during the last few hours the Singapore Police Force had to post an alert on Facebook about a hoax that has been circulating online. This is the text posted by the Singapore Police:

“The Police are aware of a Whatsapp message that is circulating. The message, which claims that “Singapore national security lockdown will be conducted (sic) city wide borders…”, is completely false and totally irresponsible. Members of public are advised not to spread unsubstantiated information which may generate unnecessary public alarm. Play a part to keep our home safe and secure by staying vigilant and reporting any suspicious persons or activities.”

And it’s not the only scam. Between others, it seems that an email with a malicious virus has been circulating as well. The message is called “We All Paris” and contains a baby photo with a bracelet saying “we are all PARIS”. It’s important that you don’t click this message because it can retrieve all your data and passwords. So pay attention, and be more careful than ever when using your devices.

A new client is available on the App Store for those of you who want to use WhatsApp from a Mac (and we bet that you are many). This latest brand-new version of WhatsApp is called Messages for WhatsApp and, as we said, you can already download it from the App Store. What is exactly Messages for WhatsApp?

First of all let’s be clear. No, it’s not the official app of WhatsApp for Mac, it doesn’t exist yet (don’t get confused, even WhatsApp Web is not). Messages for WhatsApp is simply a new useful client that allows you to use in an easier way WhatsApp from your Mac. What can you do with Messages for WhatsApp? Actually, a lot. For example you can reply straight from the notifications, or use the kekyboard shortcuts to execute common tasks. Furthermore, with Messages for WhatsApp you’ll receive notifications when a new chat message arrives, and much more.

But there are a couple of things you need to know about Messages for WhatsApp before you install it on your Mac. Before downloading Messages for WhatsApp it is important that you ensure that you have a device supporting OS X 10.11 El Capitan and that it is compatible with WhatsApp Web. Don’t panick, it’s easy.

Once you open WhatsApp just go to Settings and look for the WhatsApp Web option. It is important that you have this check, because, and here comes the bad news, Messages for WhatsApp is not for free. In fact to download it you have to pay 1,99$. We are not talking about great sums, we know it,  but you have to pay to use it.

But if you are convinced and you think that Messages for WhatsApp is what you were looking for and you want to download this brand-new version 1.1, simply click here: https://itunes.apple.com/en/app/messages-for-whatsapp/id1050148555?mt=12&ign-mpt=uo%3D4. If you are an avid WhatsApp (and Mac) user, you will probably be curious to try it.

Well, that’s really awesome. WhatsApp developers really know how to get their users addicted to this popular instant messaging app and how to increase their number. With over 900 million monthly active users, our favourite messaging service really doesn’t rest on its laurels. Only over the last few months we have witnessed an impressive amount of changes that have really transformed, and improved, our beloved app.

A lot of new features have been added such as Quick Reply, Voice Calling, Starred Messages and so on (the list is plentiful), for the joy of WhatsApp users, and the feeling is that the best is yet to come. Some of these new features for the moment run only on Android devices, some on other platforms that support WhatsApp (iPhone, Windows Phone, BlackBerry and Nokia Asha) but in any case WhatsApp developers are doing a great job.

From today those who use WhatsApp through their iPhone will certainly be even more happy. In fact, after the 3D Touch, with this new version 2.12.11 also the Peek and Pop features have been added. What are these new functions and how do they work? Nothing difficult. If you’ve succeded in updating WhatsApp so far you won’t have any problems with these latest updates.

Let’s begin with Peek. Peek allows you to preview the content on the app without opening it. Useful, isn’t it? The Pop feature enables you not only to view that content, but also to navigate to it. How? By simply pressing firmly a notification. Furthermore the Pop feature allows you to open the chat.

These amazing features work with Google Maps, Safari, Photos and Mail apps. And that’s not all. This new version of WhatsApp for iPhone also supports rich preview of the links that are shared within the app. And what’s more interesting is that you can choose not to include a rich preview thanks to a specific option. And, to conclude, according to what the company says there is also a redesigned Setting tab that allows to view all the messages that the user have starred under Starred Messages.

Clearly WhatsApp developers never rest, since almost every day we register the release of a new version of this popular app. Android, iPhone, Windows Phone, BlackBerry and Nokia Asha: WhatsApp runs on all these devices and all of them regularly (and frequently) receive some updates. Today is Android turn, with a new APK. So, what surprises has it got in store for us?

This latest beta version 2.12.353 doesn’t introduce any new feature (and it seems quite obvious considering that only ten days ago the app had major updates such as the Starred Messages feature) but is clearly more stable and developers also worked on fixing some bugs. If you often use this instant messaging app (the most popular around the world with over 900 million monthly active users) it is worth  to spend some time to keep it always updated.

Having said that, let’s see how to install Beta 2.12.353 on your Android device. You can find this latest APK from whatsapp.com/android (as you know, betas aren’t available on the Google Play Store). Download it and enable the Unknown Sources” option on your smartphone, option that you can find in Settings > Security (or Settings > Application, depending on the OS version that you have on your device). At this point you need to go where you’ve previously saved the APK file. To launch the installation process you simply need to tap on it. Done, as simple as that.

The end of the year is approaching, so this is the right period for statistics. This week GlobalWebIndex has published an interesting report, dedicated to Facebook users (and as you know, WhatsApp is a Facebook-owned messaging service). According to this interesting survay, 53% of all Facebookers use also WhatsApp to stay in touch with their contacts, while between Facebookers aged between 16 and 24, WhatsApp users are 63%. And it’s likely that more statistics will arrive by the end of the year.