WhatsApp Video Calling is coming soon!

Facebook has been promising to add video calling to WhatsApp for over a year now and it looks like they could be on the cusp of releasing the feature in the coming days and weeks, as evidenced by a pair of leaked screenshots obtained by German Apple blog Macerkopf.de.

Moreover, the app will gain tabs for moving between multiple conversations with ease. Like Apple’s FaceTime, Skype, Messenger, Viber and many other messaging platforms, WhatsApp should permit users to send and receive video calls via Wi-Fi or cellular.

The video feed from the caller will be shown full screen, with your own video overlaid on top of it in a small preview window that you’ll be able to move around and reposition on the screen as you like.

Standard controls are available, including switching between the front and rear camera and muting the microphone. As for the aforementioned tabbed chat interface, this feature will put multiple chat tabs at your fingerprint.

This will let you quickly switch between individual conversations without needing to go back to WhatsApp’s chat list. Last but not least, developers are said to be redesigning the app to show the green branding more prominently.

The screenshots are taken from WhatsApp’s internal build (version 2.12.16.2) which has yet to be released. For reference, the most recent release of WhatsApp for iPhone carries a version number of 2.12.12.

If the internal build number is anything to go by, we can expect video chatting to go live in WhatsApp with the app’s next update in the App Store.

Facebook launched both video calling on Messenger and audio calling (VoIP) on WhatsApp in April of 2015. Rival Viber has had video calling since September of 2014.

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New Whatsapp Features for iPhone and Android!

WhatsApp, the popular Facebook-owned messaging service, has started rolling out a new ‘Starred Messages’ feature for iOS users in the form of an app update. The feature aims to let users quickly access bookmarked messages including images, videos, or other content quickly.

WhatsApp users would now be able to ‘Star’ a message using tap and hold gesture. The message would then be saved in a separate new ‘Starred Messages’ tab. The feature is also available for WhatsApp Groups.

Starred Messages has been seeded to iOS users in the app version 2.12.7 and is likely to reach Androidand Windows Phone soon. The updated app is available to download form the App Store.

The more we rely on our smartphones for every facet of our lives, the more risk there is of losing important data if your phone gets lost, stolen or destroyed. Android already has some backup services built in, but the massively popular chat client WhatsApp has just announced a partnership with Google to make sure its 900 million users don’t lose anything important to them. Starting today, WhatsApp users on Android will have the option to back up their entire WhatsApp history right to Google Drive. The backup will include chat histories, voice messages, photos and video, and you’ll be able to restore all of that data to a new phone when you set up WhatsApp.

Unfortunately, as with many new Google features, this one will be coming by the ever-popular gradual rollout. This is a particularly long one — Google says the feature will become available over the next few months. Once it’s available, you’ll find the option in WhatsApp’s settings. Why it’ll take so long isn’t clear, so you’ll have to just start checking your app periodically if you want to take advantage of the new feature.

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Whatsapp Web is Finally Available on iPhone!

After launching on Chrome and Android earlier this year, WhatsApp Web is finally making its way to the iPhone. WhatsApp Web lets users access their messages in Chrome, bringing one of the world’s largest messaging platforms to the desktop. Up until this point WhatsApp Web was restricted to Android, Windows, and Blackberry devices due to “Apple platform limitations.”

But now it’s available on every major platform, with iPhone support currently rolling out, as first noted by The Next Web. To use the web client, head to web.whatsapp.com and scan the QR Code using WhatsApp on your device and it will begin pairing.

Go to Settings in your Whatsapp App, and it should be there “Whatsapp Web”. No Update required!

Here’s why WhatsApp Plus users are getting “You’re Temporarily Banned from Whatsapp” Message!

It’s a given fact that as something becomes more popular, there will be an endless number of “inspired” products that are eager to cash-in on said success story. There are any number of phones and clones. Apps are no different: a simple search for any random Twitter or Instagram user’s account will yield potentially dozens of “similar” services all of which try to make use of the original’s content. Popular texting/chatting omnibus program WhatsApp is no stranger to this, and the company is now taking action.

WhatsApp Plus users have recently been experiencing a 24-hour ban from the service, in no small part because WhatsApp Plus is in no way authorized or licensed by WhatsApp. Here’s the official word, straight from the horse’s mouth:

WhatsApp Plus is an application that was not developed by WhatsApp, nor is it authorized by WhatsApp. The developers of WhatsApp Plus have no relationship to WhatsApp, and we do not support WhatsApp Plus. Please be aware that WhatsApp Plus contains source code which WhatsApp cannot guarantee as safe and that your private information is potentially being passed to 3rd parties without your knowledge or authorization. Please uninstall your application and install an authorized version of WhatsApp from our website or Google Play. Then, you will be able to use WhatsApp.
Whatsapp Official Website (FAQs)

Given that the offending application requires side-loading to install (i.e. it’s not actually available on the Google Play Store), it might be safe to assume this issue isn’t affecting many users. It’s also hardly the only WhatsApp unofficial client for that matter, and indeed there are reports that other third-party app users have been experiencing trouble as well.

In many ways, WhatsApp’s warning about the unlicensed source code is a truly concerning one, and something that any person who goes around the “established” way need keep in mind: while some apps might offer extra features or content beyond the original product’s scope, few have the abilities needed to check for any kind of malicious programming embedded within it.

Bottom Line: 

WhatsApp Plus is shutting down. Developer Mounib Al Rifai announced on Google Plus that the service will shut down as a result of a cease and desist later received from Whatsapp:

Bad news

We have received a cease and desist letter from WhatsApp and we are obligated to remove all download links and unfortunately delete this community…

Am really sorry for this but it’s out of our hands and WhatsApp has pushed us into a corner that we can’t escape this time..

It was a fun ride but it has come to an end..

Deepest regards from Rafalense and me and all the whatsapp+ team for your support

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Official WhatsApp for PC is coming soon as shown in these leaked screenshots!

Alleged screenshots hinting of an upcoming WhatsApp web client have surfaced. Shared on Google+ and shortly removed, the post shows WhatsApp settings screen prompting to pair with a web browser and a trusted computer for a secure connection.

The web client itself hasn’t leaked yet. Sadly, there’s no further information when we can expect WhatsApp to expand beyond smartphones.

The company provides one of the most popular messaging services worldwide and by the end of August, 2014 reported 700 million monthly active users. Recently, WhatsApp introduced end-to-end encryption on Android and the latest rumor is that it will soon offer voice calls.

This puts WhatsApp in a direct rivalry with the likes of Viber and Skype. It’ll be interesting to see where the competition among these messaging services will take the segment.

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