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Old Feb 14, 2020, 7:39 am
  #406  
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Congrats to the OP, even if he is no longer involved with FB. His creation has hit 2 billion users! Even more impressive if indeed Whatsapp is not popular in the US.

https://www.cnn.com/2020/02/12/tech/...ers/index.html
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Old Feb 14, 2020, 10:10 am
  #407  
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Originally Posted by DYKWIA
What are the advantages of iMessage over WhatsApp?

Of my friends, relatives and colleagues, I'd estimate to to be around 60% Android, 40% iOS. However, I don't know of anyone who uses iMessage. Or maybe they do, in addition to WhatsApp.
Aside from integration with the OS, not much. Both offer end to end encryption, though I think WhatsApp doesn't turn it on by default. With iMessage, Apple manages your keys. If you want real privacy use Signal.
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Old Feb 14, 2020, 11:41 am
  #408  
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Originally Posted by gfunkdave
If you want real privacy use Signal.
We tried Signal yesterday. It seems to work great on Android, but no so good on iOS. When I tried to make a call, there was no notification on my wife's iPhone. It just said "dialling" at my end.
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Old Feb 14, 2020, 12:24 pm
  #409  
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WA has had a couple of big bugs though.

Maybe iMessage has been lucky.
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Old Feb 16, 2020, 4:39 am
  #410  
 
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Originally Posted by DYKWIA
We tried Signal yesterday. It seems to work great on Android, but no so good on iOS. When I tried to make a call, there was no notification on my wife's iPhone. It just said "dialling" at my end.
That happens with WhatsApp video calls for me.

We have no issues with signal on iPhone. Perhaps check the permissions you granted the app?
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Old Feb 29, 2020, 9:22 pm
  #411  
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Originally Posted by gfunkdave
Aside from integration with the OS, not much. Both offer end to end encryption, though I think WhatsApp doesn't turn it on by default. With iMessage, Apple manages your keys. If you want real privacy use Signal.
It's always on in WhatsApp
End-to-end encryption is always activated. There's no way to turn off end-to-end encryption.
https://faq.whatsapp.com/en/android/..._fb_noscript=1
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Old May 27, 2021, 4:07 pm
  #412  
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Originally Posted by gfunkdave
Aside from integration with the OS, not much. Both offer end to end encryption, though I think WhatsApp doesn't turn it on by default. With iMessage, Apple manages your keys. If you want real privacy use Signal.
WhatsApp and Signal and their users are at risk from the Indian government, but Facebook has the moolah to wage a court battle for WhatsApp in India and is using it as WhatsApp has the big target on it:

WhatsApp has sued the Indian government over new internet laws which the company says will “severely undermine” the privacy of their users.

The new IT laws, which have been described as oppressive and draconian, give the Indian government greater power to monitor online activity, including on encrypted apps such as WhatsApp and Signal. They were passed in February but were due to come into effect on Wednesday.

Under the laws, encryption – which keeps communications on the app private and inaccessible to outside parties – would have to be removed from WhatsApp in India and messages would have to be put into a “traceable” database. The government would then be able to identify and take action against the sender if any content was ruled “unlawful”.

……..

WhatsApp, which has more than 400 million users in India and is a fundamental tool of communication across the country, said it would not store the data of its users and infringe their privacy. The company filed a lawsuit in the Delhi courts
https://www.theguardian.com/world/20...-internet-laws
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Old May 27, 2021, 4:33 pm
  #413  
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Hmm, what a conundrum.

Would FB threaten to stop offering WA to India?

Huge number of users but they have the clout to apply political pressure by their users there?
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Old May 27, 2021, 5:41 pm
  #414  
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WhatsApp’s user base is large and full of influential people within India, but that won’t move matters for the government. Ultimately, if the Indian government pushes this matter to its limit, Facebook/WhatsApp are going to have to hope that the new Chief Justice of India is cut from a very different cloth than the former CJI.

WhatsApp has been repeatedly blocked in China because Facebook/WhatsApp wouldn’t do what China wanted with WhatsApp, and that hasn’t bothered China much at all despite who its users in China were and are.
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Old Jul 14, 2022, 11:13 am
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Sorry to resurrect an old thread but...
I have used my google voice number as my Whatsapp number for years. I don't WA that much so when I went to open it today, my account was gone. I tried to reregister and it seems it will no longer verify google voice numbers. Grrrrrrr. I have sent a message to WA but my searching tells me this is a recent decision by WA to no longer allow voip numbers. Anyone out there using a GV number for WA? Is it still working for you?
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Old Jul 14, 2022, 11:16 am
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Originally Posted by Finkface
Anyone out there using a GV number for WA? Is it still working for you?
Oy ... as of today, yes- but thanks for the heads-up, to ensure at least I remember to log in from time-to-time so I don't lose the account!
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Old Jul 14, 2022, 11:41 am
  #417  
 
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Originally Posted by kennycrudup
Oy ... as of today, yes- but thanks for the heads-up, to ensure at least I remember to log in from time-to-time so I don't lose the account!
Crap. Mine is not.
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Old Jul 14, 2022, 6:33 pm
  #418  
 
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Originally Posted by kennycrudup
Oy ... as of today, yes- but thanks for the heads-up, to ensure at least I remember to log in from time-to-time so I don't lose the account!
Well I messaged them asking if they could manually verify my phone number as I have had the account with that number for years. Much to my surprise, they emailed me back in about two hours and said they had looked into my account and bypassed the need for validation as a one-time courtesy so I am back up and running. But she warned me that they will not validate voip numbers any longer.
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Old Jul 22, 2022, 9:09 am
  #419  
 
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So I left the WhatsApp platform years ago after the buy out, various security failures, etc. Have things improved any? What's security like nowadays? end to end encryption? Must you have a Facebook account to use (non negotiable to me)? I have a lot of work friends who use it continually but I've been pretty reluctant in rejoining it due to security problems over the years. TIA
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Old Jul 22, 2022, 9:20 am
  #420  
 
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re: verification, it seems that if you set a two-step PIN on your account, you don't need to receive an SMS when switching phones. Something to consider for those of us using GV.

I'm not about to test it out, but I wouldn't be surprised if they use the same method of "blocking" VoIP numbers nearly everyone else does, where numbers originally from a VoIP provider are blocked but those ported in from cell or landline carriers aren't.

edit: definitely does still work that way. No SMS verification required when switching phones if you've set a PIN.

Last edited by der_saeufer; Jul 30, 2022 at 9:37 am
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