WhatsApp exams breaking free from smartphones

Facebook-owned messaging service WhatsApp has introduced the launch of a trial aimed toward liberating its customers from smartphones.

In a weblog publish on Wednesday, Facebook engineers stated the brand new characteristic would permit for the massively fashionable service be used on a number of “non-phone” gadgets without having to hook up with the smartphone app.

“With this new capability, you can now use WhatsApp on your phone and up to four other non-phone devices simultaneously—even if your phone battery is dead,” the weblog publish stated.

Since its launch in 2009 as a smartphone messaging app, WhatsApp has amassed greater than two billion customers around the globe and been acquired by Facebook.

WhatsApp can already be used on “companion devices,” reminiscent of computer systems, however exchanges are routed in such a means that if an individual’s smartphone is offline or has zero battery, it will not work.

Other points can come up as properly, reminiscent of frequent disconnection.

“The new WhatsApp multi-device architecture removes these hurdles” by now not requiring a smartphone to carry out each operation, the corporate stated.

The new functionality will likely be expanded extra broadly as it’s refined, Facebook added.

It additionally made assurances that WhatsApp’s security measures will nonetheless work underneath the brand new system.

“Each companion device will connect to your WhatsApp independently while maintaining the same level of privacy and security through end-to-end encryption that people who use WhatsApp have come to expect.”

© 2021 AFP