The Facebook owned messaging app WhatsApp needs no introduction to any part of the world. As much as 2 billion people around the globe use WhatsApp. Also the most popular, 23% lead to be precise than the second most popular messaging app, Facebook Messenger.
WhatsApp serves in 180 countries and in 60 different languages though it is completely banned of its usage within China. With such staggering statistics, still WhatsApp is often compared to its Russian rival, Telegram which stands at 6th place in the overall user share.
There has been enough information on what makes the two messaging giants to be the nucleus of user preferences. Be it their fancy cloud-based memory or super groups and channels, Telegram has been the feature-rich app while WhatsApp is complacent in sticking to its basics of keeping it simple and private. However, with the increasing user base and the needs of its users, WhatsApp is now ready to take on its Russian counterpart with three killer features which might give WhatsApp an even bigger dominance in the world of messaging apps.
1. Busting the misinformation
Around 65 billion messages are being exchanged between users on WhatsApp on a daily basis and one has to admit the fact that it is impossible to verify the authenticity of the messages and information being sent on WhatsApp. Earlier this year, WhatsApp capped the limit on the number of people a certain message can be forwarded to.
Yet, misinformation can still cause enough damage even if the forward limit is 5. Given the situation around the pandemic, it is a bigger responsibility for applications like WhatsApp to curb any kind of misinformation. To tackle this, WhatsApp is piloting a simple, yet an effective way to check the authenticity of the messages. The messages which are forwarded over a certain limit will carry a magnifying glass button against it to prompt the users to verify it. Clicking on the button will search the message’s content on Google and display relevant information on the message.
Popular messages are already analyzed by Fact checkers regularly and it is now a matter of a click to identify such messages. Though this feature is rolled out only to select countries as of now, we soon can expect this feature to be rolled out to all.
2. Multi-device login
One of the most popular features of Telegram over WhatsApp is its flexibility among the devices. You can seamlessly switch your account and chats across devices without losing or fearing about the back-up of your chat messages, thanks to the power of cloud. On the other hand, WhatsApp allows only one-device per account and an extended support for WhatsApp web, which still requires your devices to be connected to the web. Adding to the woes is that WhatsApp doesn’t permit a device using two accounts unless either one of it is a WhatsApp Business account.
But the happy news for the users is that WhatsApp is testing their multi-device support feature which is expected to be rolled out later this year. This new feature will allow WhatsApp to synchronize your chats across devices and also to be used simultaneously from as many as 4 devices. This an optional feature and users can opt in to it from the ‘Linked Devices’ page to enjoy this. However, insider insights suggest that this feature can consume a large amount of users’ data plan considering the simultaneous usage of multiple devices.
3. WhatsApp for iPad
Another big feature that WhatsApp has ditched so far is its support for Apple iPad devices. While Telegram provides a completely functional app for iPad users, WhatsApp users are left with no choice but to use WhatsApp web. Though the workaround serves, the purpose of iPad is to be handy and clinging on to the Mobile devices for WhatsApp web doesn’t fit in.
So, finally WhatsApp is working on a native iPad app and also to other Android tablet devices which is expected to be available by the early 2021.
