WhatsApp Desktop Archives - Gizmochina

WhatsApp Web and Desktop support View Once Photos & Videos again

Sean — Mon, 27 Nov 2023 12:41:57 +0000

WhatsApp is finally bringing back a highly requested feature on the WhatsApp Web and Desktop. Users will soon be able to access View Once photos and videos outside of their mobile devices again.

WhatsApp View Once returns to Web and Desktop

For those unaware, you previously had access to View Once media. But as of November 2022, the social media company decided to remove this feature from its official browser platform and PC app. The feature was taken down over privacy reasons last year. However, it is finally making a return on all major platforms again. View Once was recently spotted for Web and Desktop following a recent update.

According to a WABetaInfo report, WhatsApp Web and Desktop users have had the View Once feature working. It seems like the functionality became functional again after updates to the desktop client and the website. This feature seems to be working on both the Windows and macOS builds of the WhatsApp Desktop. To elaborate the feature, View Once basically lets you send pictures and videos that are only limited to a single view.

In other words, once a person clicks on the View Once message in the chat, the media will disappear and can not be accessed again. While previously you could take a screenshot if it was a picture, the company released an update that made screenshots ineffective. WhatsApp recently also added Email verification to further enhance the security measures.

WhatsApp Windows beta now allows opening chats with unknown contacts

Soumyakanti — Mon, 30 Oct 2023 23:23:40 +0000

WhatsApp is a widely used messaging app that offers messaging, voice and video calls, media sharing, and prioritizes user privacy with encryption. It supports group chats, a “Status” feature, and provides web and desktop versions as well. Owned by Meta, WhatsApp is regularly updated with new features and goes through UI/UX changes, enhancing user experience and functionality.

Chat With Unknown Contacts: Exploring WhatsApp Windows Beta’s Newest Feature

According to WABetaInfo, WhatsApp’s Windows native app has received an update (version 2.2342.6.0) through the beta channel on the Microsoft Store. This update brings the ability to open chats with unknown phone numbers, a feature previously available to iOS and Android users. Users can now initiate conversations without needing to save the phone number in their address book, simplifying communication with new or temporary contacts.

The new feature is currently available to select beta testers who have downloaded the latest update from the Microsoft Store. It is expected to become more widely accessible in the coming days.

The new feature in WhatsApp’s Windows native app allows users to initiate chats with unknown phone numbers by entering the number directly. This feature is accessible through the “New chat” screen under the “Phone number” section. It expands on the previous capability of searching for numbers within the chat screen, providing users with a more direct way to start conversations with unfamiliar contacts.

The feature is seen as a major improvement in user convenience and privacy. It streamlines interactions with new contacts by eliminating the requirement to save potentially temporary phone numbers in the address book.

WhatsApp is actively developing various beta features for Android and iOS users. These include a Quick Reply Bar for swift responses to images, videos, and GIFs, as well as the introduction of self-destructing audio messages. WhatsApp also now allows the use of two accounts on the same Android phone and has introduced a password-less Passkey feature for Android users. Additionally, WhatsApp will discontinue support for some older Android and iOS smartphones starting from October 24.

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WhatsApp multi-device support starts rolling out, Message Reactions enter Beta testing

Sudhanshu — Wed, 23 Mar 2022 15:24:01 +0000

WhatsApp is finally ready to roll out its highly anticipated multi-device feature for Android and iOS users. Till now, the feature has been available to users under WhatsApp’s opt-in beta testing program, but now, according to WABetainfo, the update will roll out to iOS users this month, followed by an Android release next month.

For those unaware, this feature will remove the online connection requirement on your smartphone for the chatting platform to be used on multiple devices. Previously, users had to have a stable internet connection on their smartphones to be able to use the messaging service on any other device like a desktop PC, or a laptop. In other words, it had to be linked to your smartphone to have the conversations synced.

The feature allows up to four linked devices and one phone at a time and will disconnect the linked devices if the phone stays inactive for 14 days. According to WhatsApp, viewing live location is not possible on paired devices. Creating and viewing broadcast lists or sending messages with link previews from WhatsApp Web cannot be performed on secondary devices. Also, iPhone users cannot delete or clear a chat on linked devices.

Relatedly, WhatsApp is also rolling out the Message reaction feature for some Android users on the beta channel of the app. The feature will work the same way as it does on most other platforms. Users will be able to long-press on a message to bring up the additional floating menu above the in question after which, they can choose from the various emoji-based reactions provided to react to the message. Currently, there are six reactions to choose from in the beta build which include thumbs up, love, laughter, surprise, tears, and gratitude. (via WABetainfo)

You can finally use WhatsApp on multiple devices without a smartphone connection

Sean — Mon, 08 Nov 2021 12:15:40 +0000

WhatsApp is finally bringing a highly requested feature to its messaging service. The company had promised earlier this year that it would remove the online connection requirement on your smartphone for the chatting platform to be used on multiple devices. Now, this feature is finally here.

Previously, users had to have a stable internet connection on their smartphones to be able to use the messaging service on any other device like a desktop PC, or a laptop. In other words, it had to be linked to your smartphone to have the conversations synced. But now, after several months of beta testing, the social media giant is finally letting users disable this requirement altogether on any linked device. So, you can now run WhatsApp without your phone being connected as well (Via PhoneArena).

Although, the company has limited the number of total devices that can be connected to WhatsApp at the same time to four at the moment. So, look out for the update as it should offer you a new feature under the “Linked devices” tab. After enabling this, WhatsApp will remove all previously connected devices and you will have to manually add them again. But now, these devices can run chats independently from your handset.

Notably, the feature is currently not working on tablets and there are also certain limitations on iPhones like not being able to delete a conversation on a connected device. For the sake of security, the company has added an auto disconnection feature on these connected devices, if WhatsApp is not run on your primary smartphone in 14 days.

WhatsApp Web/Desktop linking gets Biometric authentication feature

Balaji S — Thu, 28 Jan 2021 12:10:31 +0000

WhatsApp has been constantly in the news lately. Recently, it raised a lot of controversy for updating its privacy policy and terms. The backlash was so bad that it literally had to postpone the cut-off date and explain the significance of the update. Today, the company has rolled out a new security feature for WhatsApp Web and Desktop users.

WhatsApp in a Tweet, announced that it is rolling out Facial recognition and Fingerprint authentication for Web and Desktop users. For the unaware, WhatsApp apart from Android/iOS mobile platforms, offers services in Web(via Internet browser) and Dekstop(via Software) mode on computers.

The Desktop mode is available for Windows, Mac OS and Web works on any internet browser but require linking their accounts from mobile phones. Anyway, WhatsApp says that with the new feature, users will require to authenticate in their phones while linking/logging into their Accounts to the Web/Desktop.

Back in 2019, we saw evidences of fingerprint authentication on Android Beta. After rounds of Beta testing, the feature made it to the final version. Shortly before, the iOS users also got the authentication but it was Face Unlock owing to the absence of fingerprint on newer flagships.

Similarly, WhatsApp is equally focusing on PC as its recently got support for Audio/Video calls. Coming back, the new update for Web/Desktop adds an extra layer of security which was a simple QR code scanning before.

WhatsApp also says that the authentication is taken care of by respective APIs and it doesn’t have access to the biometric data. Nevertheless, the feature, which is currently not available for everyone, will be rolling out to Android(eligible – with fingerprint)/iOS(above 14+) users in the coming days.

After this, by default, you need to authenticate the linking and if you wish to remove it, you have to disable the fingerprint/face unlock on your phone as a whole. That said, the next big update could be the multi-device support.

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