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So does this finally mean I will be able to use my WhatsApp account on all 3 of my iPhones without any issues?
 
Oh, this is seeming to be perfect. Since I've started traveling, I realized most folks use either WhatsApp, WeChat or Line outside of the US. Mainly use what's app but it really sucks cause I usually have two phones (one is a backup) and can create so many problems. Especially if my internet ends up being wonky. Hoping this is released before quarantine is up!
 
Still the best option for cross-platform communication, fluid UI and user base. Hate it or not WhatsApp is number 1 and iMessage could take a few tips.

I’ve heard this SO often in conversation, but I’ve NEVER understood why ppl love WhatsApp so much. There are no features that iMessage/text or FB messenger don’t have that I need, but more importantly, the reliability of What’s App is TERRIBLE! 3 times in the past 3 years it’s stopped working/loading for me and the only option I’ve had to do is delete/re-install... Consequently lost ALL my messages and never managed to restore from backup.

That kind of unreliability is totally unacceptable and why I’ve totally given up on Whats App. Never has any problems with lost messages on any other app I use. :/
 
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Just remove Facebook from the app and I’ll use it.

Single biggest flaw of WhatsApp and why I’d still likely not use it even if this change is implemented is who owns it.

Thank God is hasn’t taken root in the US like much of the world.
 
I’ve heard this SO often in conversation, but I’ve NEVER understood why ppl love WhatsApp so much. There are no features that iMessage/text or FB messenger don’t have that I need, but more importantly, the reliability of What’s App is TERRIBLE! 3 times in the past 3 years it’s stopped working/loading for me and the only option I’ve had to do is delete/re-install... Consequently lost ALL my messages and never managed to restore from backup.

That kind of unreliability is totally unacceptable and why I’ve totally given up on Whats App. Never has any problems with lost messages on any other app I use. :/
In my country, Whatsapp has become the lowest common denominator for communication after plain text messages. And since text messages cost money to send (we don't have unlimited texts, and texts cost more to send if the recepient is on a different carrier), Whatsapp literally becomes the preferred method. And when businesses and even the government use Whatsapp as a communication platform, it has become de-facto standard.

Whether it has great features or not is besides the point.
 
I just remember the days people actually used SMS rather than saying 'I'll text you' and then you get a message through WhatsApp. Another Facebook monopoly that wants to import you photos and contacts for it's own gain.
 
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I’ve heard this SO often in conversation, but I’ve NEVER understood why ppl love WhatsApp so much. There are no features that iMessage/text or FB messenger don’t have that I need, but more importantly, the reliability of What’s App is TERRIBLE! 3 times in the past 3 years it’s stopped working/loading for me and the only option I’ve had to do is delete/re-install... Consequently lost ALL my messages and never managed to restore from backup.

That kind of unreliability is totally unacceptable and why I’ve totally given up on Whats App. Never has any problems with lost messages on any other app I use. :/

I guess you have never been outside of the US, or interact little with internationals.
 
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In my country, Whatsapp has become the lowest common denominator for communication after plain text messages. And since text messages cost money to send (we don't have unlimited texts, and texts cost more to send if the recepient is on a different carrier), Whatsapp literally becomes the preferred method. And when businesses and even the government use Whatsapp as a communication platform, it has become de-facto standard.

Whether it has great features or not is besides the point.

In my place it is very very difficult to line without WhatsApp. There are many groups, business services, support use WhatsApp which I find it very helpful (chat bots using WhatsApp). iMessage requires iPhones which defeats the purpose since not many could own in my place.

Many small business or even departmental level offline sometimes Informal collaboration happen through WhatsApp groups. Yes Telegram May be better but WhatsApp is very simple and intuitive which attracts maximum users. Even local community level collaboration feel WhatsApp is doing great.

Telegram requires bit more extensive learning than WhatsApp.
 
2020: Thanks to the sheer amount of innovative power and software development skills WhatsApp, an app by Facebook, one of the largest software companies, gains support for multiple device installations.

"We worked really hard to make this happen! We pulled all our ressourced together and did the impossible: You can now install our app on more than one device at. We hope our users will appreciate this innovative feature. Our company has once again proven its technological leadership when it comes to delivering new features. Stay tuned for our next feature: A standalone tablet client! We are proud to announce that development of this feature is already expedited and should be ready (as beta) by 2030" -Mark Sugarmountain
 
WhatsApp is one of those disgraceful pieces of software that somehow get popular and now we're stuck with. The century-old design of having all of your account living in your one phone (not even device... phone) is by far the most awful, inexplicable limitation, so this would be a much welcome change. The "WhatsApp Web"/"Desktop" workaround is so terrible. So yeah, about freaking time.
 
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Can I create a WhatsApp account for my parents using their home phone landline number and have them use WhatsApp on an iPad?

As far as I know, WhatsApp does not work on iPad, and requires a cell phone number (as opposed to a home landline number).
 
I disagree.
Yes, Whatsapp has the userbase since it's platform agnostic (it's even available on KaiOS). But that doesn't mean it's "the best." The fact that you can only use it on one device, and the fact that that device must be a phone (no iPad client, for example), made it not as versatile as other messaging platforms like Telegram.

Also, chat history on iOS or Android are not transferable to the other, and vice versa. This is in contrast to other messaging apps like WeChat, where you can have your chat history on iOS, Android, back and forth.

Ya but I'd say user base trumps those advantages especially now that Whatsapp should be able to run on up to 4 devices is more than enough for most people.

I also prefer whatsapp UI over Telegrams personally as well but Telegram does have some pluses like larger group chats unless Whatsapp really increased there group chat capacity.

Don't get me wrong I'm certainly not a fan that Whatsapp is FB owned but its still probably the best multi platform chat messaging app because of user base alone.
 
That app is 10 years behind the competition. Doesn’t even run on an iPad. Runs literally only on (one) phone. Pathetic like everything Zuckerbergfacebook
Except that whatsapp was NOT created by Zuckerberg. It was created by someone else and Facebook purchased it later, so the way it was designed isn’t Zuckerberg’s fault.
 
Can I create a WhatsApp account for my parents using their home phone landline number and have them use WhatsApp on an iPad?

As far as I know, WhatsApp does not work on iPad, and requires a cell phone number (as opposed to a home landline number).
Actually, a cell phone number is not required. It is indeed possible to create a whatsapp account with a landline phone number. I did it on an iphone that had no SIM card and therefore no cellular number. Whatsapp still works just fine on that iphone using the landline number even now that we’ve already put a SIM card into that iphone and therefore it now has a cellular phone number assigned to it. All you have to do is choose to receive the activation code through a call instead of the usual way through SMS. The reason it works is that whatsapp doesn’t actually use the phone line, it just uses the phone number to identify the user’s account (i.e., all communication is done over the internet, which is why it works over wifi too). What isn’t possible, however, is to install whatsapp on an iPad or iPod touch. I sure wish they allowed (technically there is no reason not to, as all iphone apps work on iPad too).

So yes, you could certainly create a whatsapp for your parents using their home landline number, but you can’t have them use whatsapp on an iPad because the app is not available to download on iPad. You do need an iphone even if it were one without a SIM card (i.e., use whatsapp only over wifi). Could be an old iphone you don’t use anymore if you have one.
 
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I guess you have never been outside of the US, or interact little with internationals.
Well, luckily we "internationals" are willing to use more than one app for messaging. 😅 Most of us have at least two or three messaging apps installed, like Whatsapp, Line, WeChat, Viber, etc. to adjust to whatever our non-local friends use (WeChat for our Chinese/HK friends, Line for our Japanese/Thai/Taiwanese friends, Viber for our Filipino friends, etc).
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Can I create a WhatsApp account for my parents using their home phone landline number and have them use WhatsApp on an iPad?

As far as I know, WhatsApp does not work on iPad, and requires a cell phone number (as opposed to a home landline number).
Whatsapp must be installed on a phone device, unfortunately.

This is why I gave my parents Android tablets, as Android tablets with cellular do have the phone functionality in them, and thus Whatsapp can be installed.
 
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I disagree, WhatsApp is my least favourite chat client. Telegram, which also uses the phone number as user information, has a far better experience across all platforms, including easy ability to add new devices as this article describes. WhatsApp doesn't even have a real iPad app which is ridiculous, and it sucks on macOS too. Even Facebook Messenger is a far better experience than WhatsApp. I really don't understand its popularity.

Shows all the talk about privacy is just that, talk. If it mattered, at all, Facebook wouldn't be at the centre of three of the worlds most used social media apps.

Telegram is updated with new and brilliant features every couple of months or so, it is like seeing today how WhatsApp might look in about 4-5 years time. Best of all, without Zuck"call me the messiah"erberg looking on.
 
Telegram is updated with new and brilliant features every couple of months or so, it is like seeing today how WhatsApp might look in about 4-5 years time.

Telegram still does not support video calling though. If it did I'd agree with you. Until it does its overall utility can be significantly improved and I'd use it more over WhatsApp. Until then WhatsApp appears to be a necessary evil.
 
Telegram still does not support video calling though. If it did I'd agree with you. Until it does its overall utility can be significantly improved and I'd use it more over WhatsApp. Until then WhatsApp appears to be a necessary evil.

It is a strange omission I agree, there are so many video calling app choices now though which the pandemic has made all but essential that between Teams, Duo, Skype, Facetime and Zoom I don't personally notice the loss. Virtually every group video call I have been involved in has someone in there who wants to use a different app. Even if Telegram did have it I'd still probably have to use something else.
 
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