New Technology Update : A Malicious WhatsApp Video Feature Invite Is Spreading Across The Messaging App

WhatsApp recently announced the launch of its video calling feature which has started to roll out for Android, iOS and Windows Phone users. While a number of messaging apps offer this feature, WhatsApp has been a little late, it does however have the biggest user base across the globe.

While the news is welcoming, many users are receiving as well as sharing an unverified link on WhatsApp which is said to be an invite to activate the video calling feature. An invite system was introduced last year on Whatsapp when the voice calling feature was rolled out. It seems that certain scammers are trying to take advantage of this as they have spread a similar looking fake link for the new video calling feature.

WhatsApp has not officially released any links this time to enable any feature, so in case you get any such links, do not visit any of the links. Visiting these links could be harmful and could expose your personal data.

According to a report, the link takes you to what seems to look like an authentic page where it asks you to send the malicious link to other people on your list. It also mentions the existence of group WhatsApp video calling, a feature that is still not officially available on the platform.

If you do happen to get an invite to activate the video calling feature on WhatsApp, do ignore it. To get the feature you just need to update the app to the latest version. In case you don’t see an update, wait for a couple of days as it is rolling out in phases.

Posted by Unknown Saturday, November 19, 2016

News Social Networking Update : WhatsApp Receives Neat-And-Clean Material Design Makeover For All Android Users

Popular messaging service WhatsApp has received a major update in design and now sports a complete Material Design user interface, as it moves ahead in par with Google’s latest guidelines. The new update (build version 2.12.84) is now available to all on Google Play Store. Last month, WhatsApp had released build version 2.12.38 with Material Design for Android smartphones but at the time it was only available on the company’s website.

The new update only brings in several design changes to the user interface but no new additions in terms of functionality have been made.

Firstly, the revamped Material Design interface of WhatsApp brings in a lighter shade of green which you will spot at first sight. The top bar which includes Calls, Chats and Contacts tabs has been enlarged compared to the previous build. Icons have been reduced in size which gives it a clean and simple look.

When it comes to the Chat log, if you click on your friend’s profile picture, the image will enlarge and you will see quick options such as message, call and their detailed profile. Profile pictures now are in a circular frame unlike the previous squarish one. Your chat conversation will now appear as a speech bubble and the microphone feature gets a separate icon. Previously, when users pressed ‘enter’ to send their messages, they could accidentally click on the microphone option. With the new update, this wouldn’t be a problem any more.

The attachment icons are also more colourful and appear bigger and brighter. WhatsApp already has a huge palette of emoticons and no new additions have been made, but there have been a few design and colour tweaks. The background is now bright white, which makes the emojis stand out more prominently on the screen.

Given WhatsApp has rolled out the Voice Calling feature to all Android devices as well, this easy on the eye Material Design will only provide a further boost to its popularity.

Posted by Unknown Saturday, May 16, 2015

News WhatsApp Update : WhatsApp Voice Calling: Just A Call Needed To Activate

While several online reports have claimed that the voice calling feature on WhatsApp has arrived, there is no official announcement or confirmation from the company. Several blogs suggested that users need to download the latest version of Whatsapp or get version 2.11.528/531 to activate the feature. However, this may not work. Even newer versions like 2.11.561 is yet to get the feature. So, upgrading to the latest version will clearly not work.

Another round of online reports informed that users will only get the calling feature activated on their accounts if someone makes aWhatsApp call to them. Suggesting that an invitation is required.

For the record the latest version of WhatsApp (as of March 14) is 2.12.7. You can download it from the website and insatll the apk file. However, you will need someone (who already has the feature) to call you to activate it on your device.

So, if you haven’t received the calling feature even after updating to the latest version, it’s better to forget about it for the moment and wait for the official announcement. When WhatsApp announced its WhatsWeb, the feature was available across all versions. So, we can expect the same this time for voice calling.

Meanwhile, several malwares and fake WhatsApp calling apps have appeared to take advantage of curious users.

Posted by Unknown Saturday, March 14, 2015

New Application Update : WhatsApp Nervous About Free Voice Calling Feature Launch In India

WhatsApp is testing its free voice calling feature through a small number of people in India, possibly having sped up this launch to meet Hike’s challenge. But there’s not much reason for the former to worry about seeing as its second largest user base resides on these shores, while the latter is still trying to catch up to it.

The free voice calling function appears to be available on invite-only basis at present. What this means is that you have to get a call through WhatsApp from someone who already has it. The release has been restricted to Android users for now and is reported to be accessible through the newest version 2.11.508 of the messenger app. 

The software update is not available through Google Play Store, but can be downloaded as an APK file via the official WhatsApp website section for Android. The news and images were picked up by GSMArena through a Reddit member dubbed pradnesh07 who was able to use it on a Nexus 5 smartphone running on Android 5.0 Lollipop.

According to the tipster on Reddit, some people started seeing the VoIP feature merely after picking up a voice call made through WhatsApp and then restarting. But some folks may have to reinstall the application before being able to enjoy free voice calling. The invite-based launch makes it clear that things are being taken slowly.

If you’ve miraculously or accidentally been treated to WhatsApp’s voice calling function, then you will notice an icon for it beside the Chats and Contacts tabs. But for some, trying to dial up a contact using the free VoIP calling option is said to only bring up a list of apps through which the call can be placed, including Google’s stock dial-pad.

Telecom companies across India are already acting like cry babies over the fact that customers are showing increasing preference for web-based applications like WhatsApp, Skype, Line and Viber to communicate with others. They’ve taken up the issue of regulating such Internet-based services with TRAI in order to staunch the loss of SMS and voice revenues.

It’s possible that this is one reason for WhatsApp having released the free voice calling feature in a limited way. It will also give the company time and feedback, both which will be needed to iron out any noisome bugs.

Posted by Unknown Tuesday, February 03, 2015

News Application Update : WhatsApp Free Voice Calling Feature Reportedly Starts Rolling Out

After rolling out the much-anticipated Web client to Android users, WhatsApp is now reportedly slowly rolling out the promised free voice calling feature - once again to Android users.

A Reddit user on Friday posted screenshots of the voice calling feature, supposedly accessible in the latest WhatsApp app (v2.11.508) for Android from the company site on a Google Nexus 5 running Android 5.0.1 Lollipop in India.

Reddit user pradnesh07 claims (via GSMArena) users who are running the aforementioned combination of WhatsApp app version, Android OS version, and device make will not be able to activate the voice calling feature until they receive a call from someone else with the feature already activated - hinting at a slow, almost invite-based rollout. 

The user further notes those who activate the WhatsApp voice calling feature in this manner - of receiving a call from someone with the feature already enabled - may not be able to use the feature to place further calls themselves.

To be noted before proceeding with a description of the UI seen in the screenshots, is that WhatsApp has yet to make any announcements about the rollout of voice calling to users, and that if reports are correct, the feature still appears to be in testing due to the very limited nature of the rollout. User pradnesh07 also claims to have been able to activate the feature only after receiving a WhatsApp call.

The screenshots show WhatsApp now features a new Calls tab on top, alongside Chats and Contacts, where users can start a call with one of their WhatsApp contacts via the 'New call' button on top, similar to the already-present 'New chat' button. Some users report that at this point, they are shown a list of apps including the Google dialler with which they can place the call, but no WhatsApp calling option.

Those with the feature fully working will supposedly see a standard calling interface, with the disconnect button above buttons for speaker, messages, and mute. Beyond call history visible on the Calls tab (not shown here as contact details were insufficiently blurred), no further screenshots were shared, of an in-call interface for example.

The WhatsApp voice-calling UI seen in the screenshots is mostly in-line with earlier screenshots from December that were supposedly found by digging around within the WhatsApp app for Android, but not yet functional.

Until a wider rollout of the feature, or WhatsApp's own announcements, we'd still recommend taking the reports with a pinch of salt. While the feature free voice calling feature has been promised for Q1 2015, and already has telecom operators pre-emptively looking to regulate with tariff measures, it's possible it may actually roll out globally in a slightly different form.

Posted by Unknown Sunday, February 01, 2015