Category Archives: NEWS

Another update is available for WhatsApp users. Despite the summer and recent news about flaws in its security system, WhatsApp’s developers are still regularly updating this popular instant messaging app. Even if Android users are the majority, the other platforms supporting the app such as Windows Phone and iPhone, are often updated as well. So WhatsAppers can serenely choose the version they prefer.

Today’s post is for Android users, who will be able update their device with the latest 2.16.216 Beta version of the app. Unfortunately this latest version doesn’t add any new feature, but instead it comes with important bug fixes and performance improvements. So if you are an avid WhatsApp user, we strongly recommend you to install this new update on your Android device.

As we said, this latest 2.16.216 version of WhatsApp for Android devices is still a Beta, which means that only those of you who are part of the Beta Program will be able to download it directly from the Google Play Store. It is absolutely not difficult to be a Beta Tester, so if you wish to become one, you simply have to go to this page  and tap on the “BECOME A TESTER” button. Once you are officially a Beta Tester, you will finally be able to open the Android Store and install this latest 2.16.216 version of WhatsApp on your Android device.

But don’t worry, because if you don’t want to become a registered user but still want to download WhatsApp updates, you have another option. The alternative is to download the updates manually going to whatsapp.com/android. In this case, it is very important that before the download you enable the “Unknown Sources” option.

So it’s really not difficult to keep your Android device updated. But if the work of WhatsApp’s developers is fundamental, It is also very precious the contribution given by Beta Testers, who report any bugs or malfunctioning in order to have them fixed.

A shocking announcement  is causing great concern among WhatsApp users. According to a security expert, the famous “end-to-end” encryption system that has been added into WhatsApp earlier this year, is not so secure, and in fact he was able to find a breach in the system. In case you don’t remember (or didn’t pay attention), “end-to-end” encryption is a security feature which should guarantee that private messages exchanged among WhatsApp users are safe. So, what’s happened?

Last Thursday, July 28, Jonathan Zdziarski (a digital security expert) published an article where he states that WhatsApp’ “Clear All Chats” feature does not really delete users’ messages. That’s what he wrote: “The latest version of the app tested leaves forensic trace of all of your chats, even after you’ve deleted, cleared, or archived them… even if you ‘Clear All Chats … In fact, the only way to get rid of them appears to be to delete the app entirely.”

Zdziarski extensively explains on his blog what he discovered, giving details of the procedure that he has used. Basically, he has used an iPhone to start several conversations with his account and then he started to delete, archive and clear some of them. Once he finished, the astounding revelation: the messages that he had previously cleared, still appeared in SQLite relational database management system. What does it mean? That the messages were not deleted.

According to Zdziarski, this is what happens: every time that an iPhone user makes a backup on iCloud and on a desktop computer, also the chat’s database gets copied. What is the risk? First of all that a hacker could be able to create a backup of the chat information and access private messages. For the moment, the only solution that Zdziarski  was able to find in order to delete WhatsApp chat messages, is basically to uninstall the application on your devices.

What if you really need to use WhatsApp? Nowadays this popular instant messaging app is used not only to get in touch with your loved ones, but often for work reasons. Zdziarski suggests to use iTunes choosing a complex backup password or, alternatively, he suggests to lock your smartphone using a tool called Configurator.

What will happen to WhatsApp now? Needless to say that now everybody’s wondering how this latest revelation will affect the future of this Facebook-owned app, which is now the most successful app around the world, with over 1 billion active monthly users.

We all know that WhatsApp’s developers regularly release updates of the popular app, especially for the Android version. Unfortunately, these are often beta updates, so those of you who are not (yet) beta testers don’t have the opportunity to try immediately the new features and improvements that have been introduced. Well, this is not the case of this latest 2.16.201 version of WhatsApp for Android, since this is already a stable version, so it is available for all users.

This latest version of WhatsApp for Android can be downloaded straight from the Google Play Store and can be installed on any smartphone running on Android 4.0 and later. The build number of this 2.16.201 version of WhatsApp for Android is 451310 and weighs 21.82MB.Even if Google has not given any change log for this version, we are quite confident that this latest version comes with some of the latest updates that appeared in Beta, such as the call back (or WhatsApp voicemail) feature or the new font called Fixedsys. Let’s see how they work.

The first one is an improvement of WhatsApp’s voice call system, and you can see it when you call one of your contact. If the call is declined or the recipient doesn’t pick up the phone, WhatsApp will ask you whether you prefer to Cancel, Call Back, or Record voice message. If you choose Cancel, you will close the screen. Choosing Call Back will redial the number while tapping on Record voice message you will be able to record a message. Afterwards, the message will be shown on your chat conversation with the contact that you have tried to call.

The other new feature, Fixedsys, is a new font. How can you use it? You have to type your text between the backquote symbol  (`). Furthermore, we have good news for emojis lovers. iOS version of WhatsApp already supports bigger emojis, so we think that they will soon be introduced in the Android one. In the meantime, it is already available  the Olympic Rings emoji, which you can find under the soccer ball submenu of your emoji list, after the Bowling symbol.

There are also some rumors that suggest that also the music-sharing feature will soon be introduced, feature that is already available on iOS. Lastly, if you are a Beta tester, you might be interested in downloading the latest 2.16.204 Beta version of WhatsApp for Android, which is already available on the Google Play Store.

Just yesterday we talked about the latest update of WhatsApp for iOS that enables users to send bigger emojis. Well, today we are happy to tell you that not only you will be able to send bigger emojis, but, just in time for the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, WhatsApp has also added support for an Olympic Rings emoji on both iOS and Android platforms. And, icing on the cake, this addition is available also in the Web version of the app.

Now, we imagine that many of you can’t wait to use this symbol. So, how can you do? The procedure is quite easy.  On Android and the Web, you can find the Olympic Rings emoji under the soccer ball submenu of your emoji list, right after the Bowling symbol. To use the Olympic Rings emoji remember that you have to use WhatsApp’s emoji list, which you can find by clicking on the emoji icon in the typing field. So it’s not that difficult.

A different story if you want to use the Olympic Rings emoji on iOS, because this latest emoji is not part of the iOS emoji keyboard. So you have two alternatives: the first one is to copy the emoji from a friend. The second one is to type (or copy) this sequence of symbols: ◯◯◯◯◯. Once you paste them into WhatsApp, they will turn into the Olympic rings emoji.

As Emojipedia explains: “The new Olympic Rings emoji is not a sticker or non-Unicode implementation. It uses the now tried-and-tested method of creating an Emoji ZWJ Sequence to render a new character … This sequence is created using five of the U+25EF LARGE CIRCLE² Unicode Characters … When this sequence is displayed in WhatsApp (joined with U+200D ZERO WIDTH JOINER characters), the emoji comes to life and displays the emoji included within WhatsApp“.

Not only WhatsApp has dedicated this new emoji to the forthcoming Olympic Games, but is currently the only platform to support it.

Are you an avid WhatsApper? Do you use the app with an iPhone? Well, hurry up, it’s time to update your device with the latest version of WhatsApp for iOS, since it comes with four important new features. Starting from today this new, awesome, 2.16.7 version of WhatsApp for iOS is available to download on the App Store, so don’t wait any longer to upgrade your device. Now, let’s see what changes.

1. Do you use/like emojis? Of course you do. Now when you send an emoji, it’s displayed bigger. Until now, only the heart emoji could be sent bigger and also animated. However, this new option lets emoji appear big only when they are sent singularly.
2. Recording videos from the app: you can now zoom in and out when recording videos by simply sliding your finger up and down.
3. Chat threads are now faster to load. Furthermore, you will be able to continually scroll to the beginning or to the end of the chat, without any pauses.
4. If you tap Edit at the top of the Chats tab, now you have the ability to select  multiple chats to immediately archive, delete or mark as read.

And that’s not all, because if you go to the settings option on your iPhone you’ll find a surprise. In fact, you will see an option WhatsApp Web/Desktop. With this feature you will be able to go directly to your WhatsApp for web settings from your phone.

How can you install this latest 2.16.7 version of WhatsApp for iOS on your device and enjoy these new features? Simple. All you need to do is grab your iPhone, go to the App Store and tap Updates (you can find this option at the bottom right of your screen). At this point you’ll have a list of apps that require updating: obviously, choose WhatsApp.

Those of you who use WhatsApp with Android devices will be able to download a new updated version of their favourite app straight from the Google Play Store. However, this is not a stable version, but a new Beta, hence only Beta Tester users will be able to install this latest update on their Android device. With this latest release we are at version 2.16.195, which promises to be an interesting one.

In fact this new updated version comes with some new features, along with the usual bug fixes and performance improvements. The new options that have been added include the voicemail and the two-factor authentication. This latest APK file has been increased with 25KB and contains over 500 modified files (most of these modified files are related to the functions of the app). Furthermore, this latest 2.16.195 Beta version of WhatsApp for Android devices have also some new files and 9 new directories, where the pom.xml and pom.properties.xml have been added.

Once again, there are not yet signs of the much awaited Video Calling feature, but we are confident that this important and popular option will be added soon. Now, how can you install this latest 2.16.195 Beta version of WhatsApp on your Android device. As we said above, Android users can download this latest APK directly from the Google Play Store. But, as we said, only Beta Testers are allowed to download the update. So, if you wish to become one, you can head to this page and tap on the “BECOME A TESTER” button.

Now that you are a WhatsApp Beta Tester you can open the Google Play Store and install this latest 2.16.195 Beta of WhatsApp on your Android device. Once the installation is complete always remember to use your mobile phone number. In this way you’ll be able to log into your WhatsApp account.

Those of you who use WhatsApp with Windows Phone devices will find a pleasant surprise on the Windows Store. A new beta version of our favourite instant messaging app has just been released, and it brings some improvements. This latest 2.16.128 Beta version of WhatsApp for Windows Phone adds some changes that makes the app more similar to Windows 10 Mobile.

By installing this latest update on your device, you will find larger emoticon. Furthermore, your contacts will be shown on the home page with circles instead of squares. This latest beta update is currently available only to Beta testers, but we are confident that it will soon be released as a public version.

So it’s clear that even in the middle of the summer the developers of WhatsApp keep on working very hard to maintain the supremacy of the app in the world of instant messaging. And if the Facebook-owned service is now a giant, the other companies are trying their very best to win the market. Undoubtedly one of these services is WeChat, that in China is the biggest Internet-based mobile messaging platform. The Chinese company has engaged a competition with WhatsApp in Africa, and we will soon see the results.

Obviously WhatsApp is used more widely, but WeChat offers also other kind of services such as money transfers, prepaid electricity and airtime purchases. WeChat was launched in Africa in 2013, thanks to a partnership among China’s Tencent and South African e-commerce and media group Naspers. That’s what Brett Loubser, WeChat Africa’s head, has told to Reuters: “That’s at the heart of the story for us because we knew that we were late to the market compared to other instant messaging apps and so we realized that focusing on chat services was not the most practical way to get to market,“.

According to a study by World Wide Worx, a Johannesburg consultancy, in 2015 WhatsApp was still the major instant messaging in South Africa with over 10 million users, where WeChat reached just over 5 million. For the moment WhatsApp has no plans to monetize its service in Africa, said Facebook Africa’s head Nunu Ntshingila. In any case it’s going to be a tough competition, let’s see if WhatsApp will remain at the top.