Latest news with #WhatsAppInc
Khaleej Times
16-06-2025
- Business
- Khaleej Times
WhatsApp to introduce ads in app with three new features
WhatsApp announced Monday it will introduce its boldest advertising features yet, marking a significant shift for the messaging platform that has largely remained ad-free since its launch. The move is a sensitive one for WhatsApp, whose chief firmly denied a report in 2023 that said the Meta-owned app was exploring advertisements as it sought to boost revenue. Unlike Facebook, Instagram, and other social platforms, WhatsApp has maintained minimal advertising since Meta acquired it in 2014. Users and regulators have kept a close watch on whether the social media giant would seek to monetise an app that was primarily used to chat with friends and family, and was appreciated for its privacy. Until now, the platform's advertising consisted primarily of WhatsApp Business promotional messages to opted-in customers and some limited Status ad testing in select markets. The messaging app has no display ads in chat feeds or conversations. The company said it will roll out three new monetisation features exclusively within its Updates tab, which houses both Channels and Status features used by 1.5 billion people daily and became widely available last year. The company stressed that users who only use WhatsApp for personal messaging will see no changes to their experience, as all new features are confined to the Updates tab that can be deactivated in the settings. "We've been talking about our plans to build a business that does not interrupt your personal chats for years, and we believe the Updates tab is the right place for these new features to work," WhatsApp said. The new features include paid channel subscriptions, promoted channels in the Discovery directory, and advertisements within Status, WhatsApp's version of Instagram Stories. WhatsApp emphasised that the new advertising features are designed with privacy safeguards. "I want to be really clear about one thing: Your personal messages, calls and statuses will remain end-to-end encrypted. This means no one, not even us, can see or hear them, and they cannot be used for ads," Nikila Srinivasan, vice president of product management at Meta, told reporters. The company committed to never selling or sharing phone numbers to advertisers and said personal messages, calls, and group memberships will not influence ad targeting. "To show ads in Status or Channels, we're going to use basic information like your country or city, your device language and your activity in the Updates tab," Srinivasan said. The introduction of advertising represents Meta's effort to monetize WhatsApp's massive user base of over two billion monthly active users. Industry analysts have long speculated that Meta would eventually bring advertising to WhatsApp given its scale and engagement rates. The timeline for these features was not specified in the announcement. "They're going to be rolling out slowly over the next few months, so it might be a while until you see them in your countries," Srinivasan said.
Yahoo
15-06-2025
- Yahoo
How to set up a WhatsApp account without Facebook or Instagram
There's no shortage of reasons to stay off the Meta ecosystem, which includes Facebook and Instagram, but there are some places where WhatsApp remains the main form of text-based communication. The app is a great alternative to SMS, since it offers end-to-end encryption and was one of the go-to methods to send uncompressed photos and videos between iPhone and Android users before Apple adopted RCS. Even though Facebook, which later rebranded to Meta, acquired WhatsApp in 2014, it doesn't require a Facebook or Instagram account to get on WhatsApp — just a working phone number. To start, you need to download WhatsApp on your smartphone. Once you open the app, you can start the registration process by entering a working phone number. After entering your phone number, you'll receive a unique six-digit code that will complete the registration process. From there, you can sort through your contacts on your attached smartphone to build out your WhatsApp network, but you won't have to involve Facebook or Instagram at any point. Alternatively, you can request a voice call to deliver the code instead. Either way, once you complete the registration process, you have a WhatsApp account that's not tied to a Facebook or Instagram account. If you change your mind and want more crossover between your Meta apps, you can go into the app's Settings panel to change that. In Settings, you can find the Accounts Center option with the Meta badge on it. Once you hit it, you'll see options to "Add Facebook account" and "Add Instagram account." Linking these accounts means Meta can offer more personalized experiences across the platforms because of the personal data that's now interconnected. You can always remove your WhatsApp account from Meta's Account Center by going back into the same Settings panel. However, any previously combined info will stay combined, but Meta will stop combining any personal data after you remove the account.
GSM Arena
08-06-2025
- GSM Arena
WhatsApp's auto-download quality feature is now available for beta users on Android
WhatsApp has been testing a feature since April that would allow users to select the quality of photos and videos automatically downloaded on their devices. This feature is now available to some Android users enrolled in the beta program. According to WABetaInfo, this auto-download quality feature is available to some users having beta version 2.25.18.11 of WhatsApp for Android, and the rollout is expected to expand to more beta users over the coming weeks. If you are a beta user and have received this feature, you'll find it under WhatsApp's Settings > Storage and data menu below the "Media upload quality" option. It's listed as "Auto-download quality" and offers two download choices - Standard quality and HD quality. If you select "Standard quality," WhatsApp will automatically download a compressed version of the media. If you choose "HD quality," the app will download the high-resolution media version to your device. However, if you choose the standard quality for auto-download, you will still have the option to view the media in HD manually within the chat later, provided that version is still on WhatsApp's servers. Speaking of, WABetaInfo reports that WhatsApp has introduced a new system with a dual-upload process when sending high-quality photos and videos. It means that when users send an image or video in HD quality, their devices will automatically generate standard and HD versions of that media for upload. This dual-upload is required, because due to end-to-end encryption, WhatsApp cannot process the file to compress it on its servers; hence, both the standard and HD versions are uploaded from the sender's side on WhatsApp's servers. If the receiver has selected standard quality for auto-download, then the compressed version will be downloaded and decrypted on their device. Source
Forbes
31-05-2025
- Business
- Forbes
WhatsApp Issues Urgent iPhone Countdown: Chats Stop In 24 Hours On These Phones
WhatsApp is ending support for a series of Apple and Android devices, beginning on Sunday, June 1. It had been thought the change would come early in June, but the respite is over. Here's the list of iPhones affected and what it means. Apple iPhones with older software are about to lose access to WhatsApp. If you have an iPhone 5s, iPhone 6 or iPhone 6 Plus, then first of all congratulations for holding out against the pressure to upgrade. But, secondly, commiserations, because your phone won't work with WhatsApp any more. That's because you need to have an iPhone that runs iOS 15.1 and later, and those phones can't handle software newer than iOS 14. If you want to continue to use WhatsApp, you'll need a newer iPhone (or iPad, now it's finally arrived on Apple's tablets). Android users are fine, providing your phone can run Android OS 5.0 and newer. The new software requirements have been announced by WhatsApp and the explanation is that 'Devices and software change often, so we regularly review what operating systems we support and make updates. Every year we look at which devices and software are the oldest and have the fewest users. These devices also might not have the latest security updates, or might lack the functionality required to run WhatsApp,' it says. To be fair to WhatsApp, support is only vanishing for iPhones that first went on sale more than 10 years ago, and which weren't sold by Apple for the last six years. And note the phrase 'Every year,' which tells us that if you have any iPhone newer than that, you're safe until next year at least. As noted by 9to5Mac, it had been reported that other iPhones would also be struck off, namely iPhone 16s, iPhone 6s Plus and iPhone SE 1st generation. However, this doesn't seem to be the case, providing, of course, you have updated the phone's software to later than iOS 15.1. This shouldn't be a problem as those phones are compatible with every version of iOS 15, including the recent iOS 15.8.1, a security update released a few weeks ago on March 31, 2025.
Time of India
01-05-2025
- Time of India
Man arrested from Alirajpur for circulating obscene content on social media
Indore: The Indore cell of state cyber police arrested a man from Alirajpur for allegedly circulating child pornographic content on social media . The arrest followed a complaint flagged by WhatsApp Inc., Tired of too many ads? go ad free now United States, which identified the mobile number and email ID used to circulate the obscene video featuring a minor. The accused, identified as Jitendra Solanki, 30, a resident of Pratapganj Road, Ambedkar Nagar, Alirajpur, was operating his WhatsApp account using the same credentials to commit the crime. Inspector Surendra Waskale said that the crime came to light through a complaint received via Ministry of Home Affairs' Cyber Tipline. The video, which contained explicit content involving a minor girl, had been shared on social media. A case was registered under sections 67 and 67B of the IT Act. A technical analysis was carried out to trace the accused, who was working as a driver and frequently travelling for transport-related work, making it difficult to locate him initially. Informers were deployed, his location was traced and he was arrested in Alirajpur. During interrogation, he admitted to uploading the obscene video for entertainment purpose and confessed to destroying the mobile phone and SIM card used in the act by throwing them into a river. Despite his attempt to erase evidence and carry on with his life undetected, the cyber police team identified and arrested him. Authorities obtained CAF records related to the phone number used in the crime. The police have urged the public to use social media responsibly, emphasising that sharing, uploading, or downloading obscene content—especially involving minors—was a grave offence under the IT Act. Users have been advised not to allow others access their social media accounts and to report any such content immediately on or via the helpline number 1930.
