A new interesting Beta of WhatsApp for Window Phone has just been released. This latest 2.16.24 version, along with bug fixes and performance improvements, brings some useful new features. So, let’s see what changes if you use WhatsApp through a Windows Phone device.Version 2.16.24 adds:
- 18 new wallpapers;
- the ability to silence some conversations selectively (now you just have to hold the conversation you want to silence and click on the mute button);
- preview of links (like YouTube thumbnail);
- the ability to send and receive Word, Excel and PowerPoint files.
These new features were much awaited, so they will surely be appreciated by Windows Phone users. Unfortunately it is not possible to download this latest 2.16.24 Beta as it is restricted, but it is possible to download the public version from the Windows Store.
Are you an avid WhatsApp user? Do you use the app also while working (but not only for work reasons)? Well, remember to be careful, because your employer could be reading your messages. Last January we talked about a decision of the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) that allowed employers to read employees’ private messages sent via chats and webmail accounts during their working hours.
Well, this decision hasn’t discouraged WhatsApp and Facebook users at all, and they keep on using these instant messaging apps even at work. In fact it seems that they don’t know, or forget, the fact that their employers might be reading their messages. Recent statistics report that only in the UK employees send about 100 private messages a day while working. That’s quite a huge number, isn’t it?
On the matter David Evans, director of policy at BCS, said: “It’s really important for individuals to understand how their use of email and social media fits with their employer’s policies,” adding that “It is also important for managers to treat employees with respect, and not monitoring their employees more than is needed to manage the business risks.”
Obviously, it’s especially young employees who send most of the messages, and about 90 per cent of people aged 16 to 24 year old send private messages during the day. But what is the content of these messages? A survey on 1000 people showed that: 40 per cent has sent messages about new job opportunities, 9 per cent has sent messages to flirt with a colleague and 31 per cent has done online shopping.
Jamie Bowler, marketing director at Dice, said that clearly many people aren’t aware of their workplace policies, and has also given a suggestion: “We’d always advise people to be careful about their communication in the workplace. Let’s face it, we’ve all had that feeling of dread when we’ve sent the wrong person the wrong email.” So, once again, before you send private messages while working, check your company’s policy.