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Upcoming iOS 13 VoIP Change That Restricts Background Access to Impact Facebook Messenger and WhatsApp

jonblatho said:
That's...not how APIs work.

They've removed APIs that Facebook was using (read: abusing) in PushKit in iOS 13. Their choices from there are to either continue linking against the iOS 12 SDK for as long as they're allowed to, which means they would never get to use the new features in iOS 13, or to use private API — if it exists and if they can discover it — to recreate the previous functionality, which would then require them to distribute outside the App Store. It's no longer provided by PushKit, so it's then up to Facebook to provide that functionality for themselves.

In other words, yes, this change would affect them even if they distributed outside the App Store.
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For the poor souls who work with software :p:

https://developer.apple.com/documentation/pushkit
(available since ios 8)

My guess is they cant use ios12 or older sdks but rather ios13 sdk which should have been backwards compatible BUT this is the update/heads up here - its NOT going to be

Wonder what is being tightened here from the API pov. https://developer.apple.com/documentation/pushkit/pkpushpayload seems to be the one that could be tightened unless the exploit is - apps can collect data when they receive a pushKit notification which otherwise wouldnt be possible if background refresh is disabled for them. That would be my guess.
 
iConcept said:
Just waiting for the Apple sign in and I can ditch FB forever. WhatsApp is still a tough one to get rid of as it's often the only free and easy way to send pics to people on Android, so it's reassuring to know it'll be harder for them to listen in.
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There is many good messengers like Telegram (no video calls), Viber, Signal, Kik and other but is is problem to explain many users why to use it when all use WhatsApp. As many do use it since times it was independent. And others has no idea about data mining or do not care (it is "free") or has no space on phone for other app or are from Africa where you get free data with it and so on.

And one nice cartoon at the end :)
2631.png
 
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ZZ Bottom said:
Sure it was a mistake, but at least their in a concerted direction toward user privacy now.

Yes this may create compromised experiences for some existing users. Yes Apple may lose users that switch to Android. I’m certain these are all calculated risks for the sake of making the “Apple Brand” all about privacy... for now at least.
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Actually I see a lot of people staying in iOS and just switching to Telegram Messenger App :)
 
kis said:
That's true - with Whatsapp's new AI-supported pre-screening for messages, they have found a way to analyze data from messages before they're encrypted. Which means that both Facebook and law enforcement will have full access to message content, even though it's sent encrypted afterwards. The same goes for phone calls. Apple is simply trying to avoid that. So: hats off for Apple. There's a reason why I'm sticking with Apple products, although they're insanely expensive.
[doublepost=1565161382][/doublepost]

It still is - but Facebook has found a way to get all your data while still sending stuff end-to-end encrypted. They're running AI in your WhatsApp and messenger clients to pre-analyze all messages before they're sent.
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You got some sources for that?

ETA: NVM, found it. If that happens, I hope that the mass exodus from WhatsApp follows. It will be difficult, considering how dominant they are outside of US.
 
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I think Apple is smart to continue to push this privacy topic in the forefront. At the end of the day, an Android flagship and an iPhone will give the user the same basic experience, except the iPhone user will likely have a more secure, more private experience. With all of the other features I love about my iPhone and the Apple ecosystems, privacy and security is probably the best reason to stick with Apple.
 
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B4U said:
Sadly, not everyone lives on this side of the world or use iPhone only. You can go ahead stay on the high horse and try to convince MY pals to switch out of that crap while telling me how to live my life.
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you know there are many alternatives. and i couldn't care less about how you live your life, it was just your big talk comment that made me laugh and i responded to it. my apologies. :)
 
icloudUser said:
For the poor souls who work with software :p:

https://developer.apple.com/documentation/pushkit
(available since ios 8)

My guess is they cant use ios12 or older sdks but rather ios13 sdk which should have been backwards compatible BUT this is the update/heads up here - its NOT going to be

Wonder what is being tightened here from the API pov. https://developer.apple.com/documentation/pushkit/pkpushpayload seems to be the one that could be tightened unless the exploit is - apps can collect data when they receive a pushKit notification which otherwise wouldnt be possible if background refresh is disabled for them. That would be my guess.
Click to expand...
Looks like this is what’s changing — it seems Facebook was silently receiving "calls" that didn't exist. Now, Apple requires that those calls be handled through CallKit, which presents the user with a (too) direct notification when a call comes in.
 
This would be good, but if Facebook and Whatsapp were *not* social messaging apps., it might make it a bit easier

The reasons of being a social network has its drawbacks, particular when mixed in with the privacy Apple is wanting. You can't guarantee because if Facebook told users "up front" would you still continue using them if privacy was important.?
 
BigDO said:
You got some sources for that?

ETA: NVM, found it. If that happens, I hope that the mass exodus from WhatsApp follows. It will be difficult, considering how dominant they are outside of US.
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Yeah, WhatsApp is the standard messaging app outside the US. But rest assured: there won’t be any mass exodus. Most people are blissfully ignorant when it comes to privacy. Except for people like you and I, nobody will stop using it. Most of my friends and my family use iMessages, Signal or Threema - I have no problem deleting WhatsApp.
 
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alexandr said:
you know there are many alternatives. and i couldn't care less about how you live your life, it was just your big talk comment that made me laugh and i responded to it. my apologies. :)
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Apologies accepted.
I may have used strong words as well. My bad.
But it is a sad reality we are facing that too many people are following that herd.
Having been trying to convince everyone to stay off WhatsApp but has no luck so far.:(
 
B4U said:
Apologies accepted.
I may have used strong words as well. My bad.
But it is a sad reality we are facing that too many people are following that herd.
Having been trying to convince everyone to stay off WhatsApp but has no luck so far.:(
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i don't even try... except for when my friends who use iphones start sending me whatsapp messages)
i respond in messages and usually after a couple of times the training is complete. :))
 
alexandr said:
i don't even try... except for when my friends who use iphones start sending me whatsapp messages)
i respond in messages and usually after a couple of times the training is complete. :))
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Only issue with that is, if they are overseas and either one of the party is not connected to the iCloud, then it gets expensive.:(
 
B4U said:
Only issue with that is, if they are overseas and either one of the party is not connected to the iCloud, then it gets expensive.:(
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do you mean if they are using sms instead of imessages? or just data charges for sending imessages?
 
pipis2010 said:
Hmmm, there's also Telegram and Viber and I am sure some other messaging apps...
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I agree, I've used many of them myself as I'm keen to try new Apps, but as Frantisekj mentions below people got used to WhatsApp and it became the norm for many people. Facebook made a shrewd decision when they bought them.

While I know iOS users who don't touch WhatsApp, every single Android user I know uses it on a regular basis (I know this won't be the case for everyone). Is this because Android doesn't have a decent in-built iMessage equivalent?

Frantisekj said:
There is many good messengers like Telegram (no video calls), Viber, Signal, Kik and other but is is problem to explain many users why to use it when all use WhatsApp. As many do use it since times it was independent. And others has no idea about data mining or do not care (it is "free") or has no space on phone for other app or are from Africa where you get free data with it and so on.
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Absolutely. It's a shame that while many use the other apps, none of them carry the same weight as WhatsApp. Perhaps if/when more and more people distrust Facebook then their affiliated brands will also suffer, which is also a shame.
 
I heavily rely on Facetime call in India, Whatsapp call is just not up to the mark. There is a discernible lag in the call quality and there are security concerns with one behemoth corporation, Facebook, sitting at the top and it is notorious for privacy infringement.

All in all, a very welcome move.
 
iConcept said:
While I know iOS users who don't touch WhatsApp, every single Android user I know uses it on a regular basis (I know this won't be the case for everyone). Is this because Android doesn't have a decent in-built iMessage equivalent?
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You remind me one point of view. When someone use Android as OS is there any need to bother with who else is snooping on you?
 
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