The web client was not standalone, and required the user's phone to stay on and connected to the internet. In a later update on November 30, WhatsApp added a Secret Code feature, which allows those who use locked chats to enter a unique password that hides those chats from view when unlocking the app. Previously between March 2016 and May 2017, only limited file types categorised as images (JPG, PNG, GIF), videos (MP4, AVI), and documents (CSV, DOC/DOCX, PDF, PPT/PPTX, RTF, TXT, XLS/XLSX), were allowed to be shared for file attachments. Visual effects also became available, adding visual filters to a user's video feed. In December 2024, WhatsApp introduced several new video calling features, including the ability to select specific participants from a group to make a call, rather than calling all group members.
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Shares of Sandisk are up more than 400% since the company was spun off from Western Digital (WDC) in February. Murphy said in Tuesday's earnings call that Marvell's revenue is projected to grow at least 10% in fiscal 2027, while revenue from its data center products could surge more than 25%, according to a transcript provided by AlphaSense. Marvell posted adjusted earnings of $0.76 per share for the third quarter of fiscal 2026, slightly above the analyst consensus compiled by Visible Alpha. The ADP data suggested the job market, which has been in a low-hiring, low-firing limbo, could be taking a turn for the worse.
For information on use of our services, please see our Terms of Use. Authors/presenters may own the stocks they discuss. Cryptocurrency play Strategy (MSTR) slumped on the stock market today as bitcoin prices sank, while Moderna (MRNA) dropped following a government memo linking Covid vaccines to deaths.
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The organization reported a massive drop-off in traffic for the blocked services, though the country's government made no official statements about the block. In August 2021, the digital rights organization Access Now reported that WhatsApp along with several other social media apps was being blocked in Zambia for the duration of the general election. In December 2021, the Swiss army banned the use of WhatsApp and several other non-Swiss encrypted messaging services by army personnel. On May 9, 2014, the government of Iran announced that it had proposed to block the access to WhatsApp service to Iranian residents. In September 2017, security researchers reported to The New York Times that the WhatsApp service had been completely blocked in China.
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According to a white paper that was released along with the announcement, WhatsApp messages are encrypted with the Signal Protocol. WhatsApp confirmed the partnership to reporters, but there was no announcement or documentation about the encryption feature on the official website, and further requests for comment were declined. Open Whisper Systems said that they had already incorporated the protocol into the latest WhatsApp client for Android, and that support for other clients, group/media messages, and key verification would be coming soon after.
- On May 2, 2016, mobile providers in Brazil were ordered to block WhatsApp for 72 hours for the service’s second failure to cooperate with criminal court orders.
- According to a white paper that was released along with the announcement, WhatsApp messages are encrypted with the Signal Protocol.
- Unlike messages in groups or private chats, channels are not end-to-end encrypted.
- WhatsApp uses a “store and forward” mechanism for exchanging messages between two users.
- Edited messages were tagged as “edited” to inform recipients that the content had been modified.
- WhatsApp 2.0, released for iPhone in August 2009, featured a purpose-designed messaging component; the number of active users suddenly increased to 250,000.
In October 2023, support for logging in to multiple (meaning two) accounts was added, allowing users to switch between different WhatsApp accounts in the same app. Now, the feature is also made available to iOS users, allowing them to link up to four iPhones. WhatsApp officially rolled out the Companion mode for Android users, allowing linking up to five Android phones to a single account. In April 2023, the app rolled out a feature that would allow account access across multiple phones, in a shift that would make it more like competitors. In January 2015, WhatsApp launched a web client that allowed users to scan a QR code with their mobile app, mirroring their chats to their browser.
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- In a later update on November 30, WhatsApp added a Secret Code feature, which allows those who use locked chats to enter a unique password that hides those chats from view when unlocking the app.
- As of May 2025, the service had 3 billion monthly active users, making it the most used messenger app.
- Three days after announcing the Facebook purchase, Koum said they were working to introduce voice calls.
- WhatsApp (officially WhatsApp Messenger), owned by Meta Platforms, is an American social media, instant messaging (IM), and Voice over IP (VoIP) service accessible via desktop and mobile app.
- The project reportedly involved more than 50 engineers under the direction of former PayPal president David A. Marcus.
- WhatsApp officially rolled out the Companion mode for Android users, allowing linking up to five Android phones to a single account.
In December 2023, WhatsApp's "View Once" feature expanded to include voice messages. In October 2024, WhatsApp expanded their chat filter feature, adding the ability for users to create custom lists that contain specific chats of their choice. In October 2020, WhatsApp rolled out a feature allowing users to mute both individuals and group chats forever. In March 2024, Meta announced that WhatsApp would let third-party messaging services enable interoperability with WhatsApp, a requirement of the EU's Digital Markets Act (DMA). Local users can text special numbers in the app to launch an in-app shopping process, where they can order groceries. Facing criticism, WhatsApp postponed the update to May 15, 2021, and had no plans to limit functionality of users, nor nag users who did not approve the new terms.
WhatsApp’s App Store changelog now prominently features the redesigned About page, indicating that the rollout is expanding to more devices. The updated About works similarly to WhatsApp Status, but it is intended for quick, contextual updates that appear directly inside chats. We’re always introducing new features and updates to help you better express yourself and have more engaged conversations. Over the past few months, we’ve added new features to WhatsApp that make chatting and calling more convenient and fun.
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Although Acton was working on another startup idea, he decided to join the company. Koum updated WhatsApp so that everyone in the user's network would be notified when a user's status changed. However, when early versions of WhatsApp kept crashing, Koum considered giving up and looking for a new job. Koum betory casino no deposit bonus named the app WhatsApp to sound like "what's up" and it was published on the Apple App Store and BlackBerry App World in May and June 2009 respectively.
When this multi-device feature was first introduced to Android and iOS users, it could only show messages for the last three months on the Web version, because the Web version was syncing with the phone. Similar to voice messages, this feature allows users to record and send short videos directly in a chat. WhatsApp has rolled out a feature called 'Voice Status Updates', which allows users to record voice notes and share them as their status on the app. Marvell Technology (MRVL) shares jumped Wednesday after the semiconductor company topped profit estimates on strong data center demand and announced an AI acquisition.