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WhatsApp Ads Debut in Updates Section, Personal Chats Unaffected
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Ha I didn’t even realise there was an updates section till I read this article!
I suppose it no big deal initially but I suppose we can see where it may be heading
I suppose it no big deal initially but I suppose we can see where it may be heading
Sure, that's valid, I was moreso just meaning the general avoidance of reliance on third-party software for fundamental things like this. Giving one external company (especially one like Meta) control over an entire region's messaging network...
Considering my Facebook and Instagram feeds are nothing but ads, I wouldn't be surprised if WhatsApp ends up like them. I never understood the appeal of WhatsApp. iMessages and SMSs are free to send. I don't buy the international friends/family argument that people are in constant contact with that everyone else has to use WhatsApp who are not international. I still use iMessage with international people, but they have iPhones. If they don't, they're relegated to WhatsApp then, which I mute
Me neither, unfortunately.
It came early, was a very good experience -- much better than SMS -- and free when SMS was not. Everyone has it and it works on Android, which globally is used a lot more than Apple.
If you ignore Meta for a second, it's a good service and a lot better than falling back to SMS, especially if you live in a place where north of 60-70% of people have an Android phone.
Whether it's international or domestic friends and family, that only works if you don't really care about the ones you've muted.
There's an element of going with the majority and I certainly can't or want to mute my parents, in-laws or other important people in my life.
But the implication is that they could change their minds about this at a future time. I’m just inquiring about how they could ever use the E2EE messages for advertising
No, I don't. Or I don't need to read their messages immediately. They know if they want me to read immediately to send an iMessage/SMS.
But the ones I mainly have on WhatsApp so I can mute are the ones who message like this: Hi [send] how are you [send] I'm fine [send] what are you up to [send]
It that works for you, sure why not. Since you haven't muted iMessage or SMS I assume that there are messages you want to see immediately, and if you lived in a place where WhatsApp is widely used you'd get those on WhatsApp -- at which point standing on principle means missing important stuff or missing out on things. Not that it's impossible of course, just not as straightforward as people from North America may assume.
I agree early days WhatsApp was great. I registered one back then long time ago then I delete my account when Meta brought it and unfortunately I had re-register another account cos 1 single person is Android and while rest of us got iPhone and this person don't even have RCS either! So got WhatsApp again, temporarily though. Plan to delete it soon possible when this person finally able to move to RCS.
Early WhatsApp was nice and easy and simple and free. I think I had it before iMessage 🤔. Then iMessage came along I use that instead of WhatsApp and only used it as backup. iMessage was lot better than early WhatsApp since it can do full resolution photos and videos etc when WhatsApp couldn't then.
Your metadata can reveal a lot. Meta knows the who/where/when of your WhatsApp messages. They can’t read the content, but the other stuff gives some clues, especially when cross-referenced with other data out there associated with your phone number.
