WhatsApp, the messaging app owned by Facebook parent Meta, suffered a global outage on Tuesday.
Problems were first detected around 3:17 a.m. ET, according to Downdetector.com, which monitors outages across internet services.
Users reported problems with sending and receiving messages. Normal service on WhatsApp had appeared to be restored at around 5 a.m. ET.
WhatsApp Web, the internet browser version of the messaging service, which previously failed to load, was also working when tested by CNBC.
Meta confirmed there were initially issues with WhatsApp.
“We’re aware that some people are currently having trouble sending messages and we’re working to restore WhatsApp for everyone as quickly as possible,” a Meta spokesperson told CNBC.
WhatsApp, which has around 2 billion users, is particularly popular in countries such as India and Brazil.
Users across the world from the U.K. to India and Turkey reported outages on Tuesday.
It’s not the first glitch for a Meta-owned platform this year. In August, Facebook users reported a problem where their Feed was spammed with messages from other people that were initially made on celebrity pages.
Other tech companies have also faced technical problems this year. In August, Google’s search engine was briefly down. And in July, Twitter suffered an outage.
WhatsApp on Tuesday launched a completely new app for Windows users. This time, instead of using the old Electron technology (which is web-based), the app has been completely rebuilt using native Windows technologies, which should result in better performance overall.
The new WhatsApp for Windows was previously available as a beta app, and now it is finally available for all users. As detailed by WhatsApp in a blog post (via The Verge), the new app comes to replace the old WhatsApp Desktop with a new, native experience. Since it now runs natively, the app has become more reliable and faster.
In addition, the native WhatsApp app has some other advantages compared to its predecessor. For example, users can now send and receive messages even when their phone is offline. The interface has also been redesigned to look cleaner and more consistent with the Windows interface.
Mac users will also get new WhatsApp app
In the near future, WhatsApp’s macOS app should also get a similar update. Last month, WhatsApp released the first public beta of its new Mac app built on Catalyst technology – which lets developers easily bring iOS apps to macOS. Instead of using web technologies, the new app is heavily based on WhatsApp for iOS using the system’s native APIs.
As a result, the new macOS app also runs faster and uses fewer resources, which helps when it comes to saving battery power. The new WhatsApp beta app for macOS also works when the phone is offline, just like WhatsApp for Windows.
Windows users can now download the new WhatsApp app for Windows on the Microsoft Store. It requires a computer running Windows 10 or later. As for the new macOS version, users interested in getting it before the official release must sign up for the beta app on TestFlight.
WhatsApp also has plans to release an iPad version (and now this is totally possible with the Catalyst version), but at this point, the beta app for iPadOS has yet to be released.
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WhatsApp’s new app on Windows no longer requires you to link your phone to send, receive, and sync messages. An update on WhatsApp’s site reveals the refreshed Windows app is out of beta and available to download on the Microsoft Store.
Previously, users on Windows had to download WhatsApp’s web-based desktop app or access the messaging service from their web browsers. The new app is native to Windows, which, as WhatsApp explains, should make the app faster and more responsive.
The redesigned WhatsApp has a slightly cleaner interface when compared to the previous version of the app but otherwise doesn’t look all that different. The biggest change is that you no longer need to keep your phone online to sync messages between your phone and the desktop app. WhatsApp says it’s currently working on a native app for macOS as well.
Oh wow, the new version of WhatsApp is now out of beta. It’s a modern Windows app which replaces the old electron/web version. You can receive messages without the app being turned on, and you don’t need to be connected to a phone.
WhatsApp’s multi-device feature has been fully rolled out and is out of beta. This lets you link up to four devices to your WhatsApp account without needing your phone, all while maintaining end-to-end encryption.
In April, WABetaInfo found a screenshot from the beta version of WhatsApp on Android that indicates the platform may soon add multi-device support for tablets. Right now, WhatsApp only lets you link computers to your account, so adding support for tablets (or perhaps an additional phone) would only make sense.
Using linked devices does come with some limitations, however. For example, if you use an iPhone as your primary device, you can’t clear or delete chats. You also can’t send messages with link previews from WhatsApp web, message or call someone who’s using a “very old version” of WhatsApp, as well as view live locations.
Sent a wildly inappropriate text meant for your boo to, I don’t know, your boss? Now you have some extra time to save face and delete it — well, if you’re using WhatsApp, at least.
WhatsApp users now have a little over two days after sending a message to delete it instead of just one hour, the company announced today.
To start using the new feature right now, open up the WhatsApp group or individual chat where you sent the message(s). Make sure to tap and hold the content you want to get rid of, click “Delete,” and then select either “Delete for everyone” or “Delete for me.”
Yet before you go off on a deleting spree, be aware there’s a (slight) catch: all recipients must be updated to the most recent version of WhatsApp in order for this to actually work — and you won’t actually receive a notification if the message didn’t delete.
Still, this could be a handy new feature that may help WhatsApp gain a slight advantage over Apple’s iMessage instant message service. Apple, after all, still doesn’t offer this capability and only will whenever the heck its new iPhone, iPad, and Mac operating systems are released, possibly this fall.
For now, however, the iOS 16 beta only gives users two minutes to pull the plug — and only so long as recipients have downloaded the beta version as well. Which, let’s face it, isn’t something you can count on.
WhatsApp is a prime target for crooks – so spotting the warnings signs of a dangerous text can help you stay safe.
Even messages that seem to come from friends or family can be a sinister trap.
So you need to watch out for anyone asking for personal information.
We spoke to cyber-experts who revealed the tell-tale signs of a WhatsApp scam.
And texts from unknown numbers can be one of the biggest clues.
“Scam messages often come from unknown numbers. If you keep a tidy contact list they will be easier to spot,” said Brian Higgins, security specialist at Comparitech, speaking to The Sun.
“They also disguise themselves as official messages, offering tech support to solve problems you probably didn’t know you had for example, or telling you you’ve won a prize.
“Always make sure you’re running the most up to date version of any platform and you can confidently delete the first one.
“Then think about how many times in your life you’ve won a prize for absolutely no reason at all and you can get rid of the second one too.
WhatsApp has more than 2 billion users, so it’s often targeted by crooks.Rafael Henrique/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images
“Try to think before you click and don’t let FOMO scare you away from the ‘delete’ button. It’s your best way to stay safe.”
If you’re a regular WhatsApp user, you need to be on high alert.
WhatsApp has more than 2billion users, so it’s often targeted by crooks.
We spoke to cyber-expert Tom Davidson to get his three top tips for spotting scams on Meta-owned WhatsApp.
Here’s what Tom, a senior director at security firm Lookout, told The Sun…
If you’re a regular WhatsApp user, you need to be on high alert.DENIS CHARLET/AFP via Getty Images
Tom’s three WhatsApp warnings
Here’s what you need to look out for:
Clue #1
Messages coming from unknown contacts that try to get you to interact, especially if the spelling or grammar seems off.
The same goes for messages from known contacts that sound different to usual.
Clue #2
Messages with unsolicited offers like free giveaways, prize drawers or discounts, even if they appear to come from a reputable brand and especially if they ask you to submit personal details.
Clue #3
Any messages that include clickable links that you were not expecting to receive.
To be safe you can manually type the link into another browser.
Attackers may use special characters in the message to disguise a malicious link that looks at first glance like a familiar or reputable site.
You need to watch out for anyone asking for personal information.Rafael Henrique/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images
Staying safe on WhatsApp
There are some other key security tips you can take advantage of.
The first is to make sure you keep your phone and apps updated with the latest software patches.
These updates often include important security fixes that squash bugs used by hackers to attack your device.
And you should also be generally wary of anyone asking for personal information (like credit card details or login codes), even if the text appears to be coming from a friend.
If a hacker gains access to your WhatsApp account, you can kick them out by logging back in again.
This story originally appeared on The Sun and has been reproduced here with permission.
WhatsApp seems to be working on a feature that would let users chat with the same account on multiple phones, or on a phone and a tablet, according to a screen found in a beta version of the app by the site WABetaInfo. The screen gives instructions for registering the device you’re using as a “companion” by scanning a code with your main phone — though currently there doesn’t appear to be an actual code to scan.
A screen found in a previous beta showed that devices could be getting the ability to sync recent messages, even though they’re end-to-end encrypted. That screen, combined with the “Register Device as Companion” screen that instructs users on how to use WhatsApp on another device, adds up to compelling evidence that this feature is in the works.
Both screens have been found in the Android version of the app, which implies that the feature will support chatting on a secondary phone or tablet. At the moment it’s unclear if the feature will also be available on iOS if and when it launches, though there is precedent indicating it will. WhatsApp technically supports using your account on multiple devices already, via the Linked Devices feature, which currently only supports using computers as secondary devices. The feature is available on both iOS and Android.
WhatsApp rolled out Linked Devices as a public beta in November 2021, and has improved on it since then (though there are still a few unsupported features, depending on what your main device is). But while Linked Devices is handy for desktop users, it doesn’t do much for those with secondary smartphones or tablets. Meta, WhatsApp’s parent company, didn’t immediately respond to The Verge’s request for further details on its plans to expand the Linked Devices feature to support mobile devices as well.
This week, WhatsApp began rolling out . And it looks like the company could soon implement another overdue feature. With the latest beta release of its iOS app, WhatsApp has added an option that allows users to limit specific individuals from seeing their “Last Scene” status, according to .
If you’re not familiar with that part of WhatsApp, it’s the feature that indicates when someone last checked the app, and it’s a way to find out if a contact may have potentially seen your message even if they have read receipts turned off. For a while now, WhatsApp has allowed you to limit who sees your status to only your contacts. You can also disable the feature altogether, but you haven’t had the ability to prevent specific individuals from seeing that information.
However, WhatsApp iOS beta version 22.9.0.70 adds a new “My Contacts Except…” option under the Last Seen section of the app’s privacy settings. According to WABetaInfo, adding an individual to that list also prevents you from seeing their status. The outlet says WhatsApp is also implementing more granular privacy controls for both profile photos and about sections. With the feature now in beta testing on both Android and iOS, it likely won’t be long until it’s officially available in WhatsApp.
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WhatsApp has detailed its new communities feature coming to the app.
The company has also announced a bunch of other features, including the ability to share larger files, emoji reactions, and more.
WhatsApp has officially acknowledged several upcoming features. The company wrote a blog post detailing all the new options coming to the chat app, including the communities feature, perhaps one of the biggest additions to the platform in years.
According to WhatsApp, communities will encompass a collection of separate groups. They will allow organizations like schools, local clubs, and non-profits to come under one umbrella and get things done more efficiently.
“People can receive updates sent to the entire community and easily organize smaller discussion groups on what matters to them,” the company wrote in a blog post.
Admins of communities will get powerful tools to control which groups can be included. They will also be able to broadcast announcement messages to everyone in the community.
Moreover, WhatsApp assures that chats within communities will be end-to-end encrypted.
There’s no specific date for when communities will come on board the platform, but it shouldn’t be long now.
Meanwhile, more immediate updates headed to WhatsApp include stuff we’ve been hearing about for the past couple of days.
You’ll soon be able to react to messages using emojis. Group admins will be able to remove errant messages from everyone’s chats. The file-sharing limit will be increased to 2GB. And lastly, one-tap voice calls will now allow up to 32 people to talk to each other.
Once again, There’s also no word on when all these new features will hit WhatsApp. We’ll update this article when we have more details.
Tapping on an unsaved number that has been sent on a chat will open an in-app menu that allows users to chat with the person if they are on WhatsApp.
WhatsApp is one of the most commonly used instant messaging apps in the whole world. Many of us these days have most of our communication on WhatsApp and the company keeps bringing in new features and updates to make that experience easier and more enjoyable.
Now, WhatsApp seems to be working on what may be the solution to one of the biggest problems on the instant messaging app. According to a report from WhatsApp tracker WABetaInfo, the company is working on letting users text those numbers that are not saved on their smartphones.
WhatsApp does not allow us to send messages to numbers that aren’t saved on our smartphones. However, the WhatsApp beta for Android version 2.22.8.11 shows that the company is working on a solution for this. The report shows that tapping on an unsaved number that has been sent on a chat will open an in-app menu that allows users to chat with the person if they are on WhatsApp. The in-app menu also allows users to call these unsaved numbers and give them an option to save the contact. Android Authority verified the report, saying that the beta version they are running shows the said in-app menu.
Currently, tapping on a number that was sent to you on WhatsApp opens the phone’s dialer app. The new method, while being a big change towards allowing you to text unsaved contacts, isn’t perfect yet. It will still require the unsaved number to be on your WhatsApp.
The Meta-owned instant messaging platform was also recently reported to be putting a new limit on message forwards. Both the Android and iOS beta versions of WhatsApp showed an upcoming feature that will not let users forward a message to more than one group at a time. If a user tries to forward an already forwarded message to another group, they will be met with an alert that says “Forwarded messages can only be sent to one group chat.”
WhatsApp announced on Wednesday that it will roll out some improvements to voice messages over the coming weeks, including the ability to listen to a message while reading other chats and play messages at 1.5 or 2 times speed (yes, please, put this feature everywhere).
The experience of recording messages is also improving. WhatsApp now lets you pause and resume your recording, so you don’t have to leave large gaps of silence if you’re thinking of what to say next or redo a recording if you need to have a brief conversation in real life. You’ll also be able to listen to a message before you send it to make sure you didn’t accidentally get cut off or include something you didn’t want to.
An example of what the new voice chat UI looks like.Image: WhatsApp
There’s also a slight aesthetic improvement. Instead of just using a line to show your voice message playback progress, WhatsApp will now use a waveform of the actual message. Plus, WhatsApp can remember where you were when you paused playback and let you start playing back from that point again so you don’t have to re-listen to an entire message.
These improvements will likely get a lot of use — WhatsApp says that users send an average of 7 billion voice chats a day. While some similar features were already available in other apps (Telegram, for example, has let you listen to messages outside chats for a while), it’s definitely nice to see WhatsApp’s version getting some attention.
