Facebook bought WhatsApp for a reported fee of $19 billion. This is a huge amount for an application that is only used for instant messaging services.
However, Facebook seems to have other ideas as far as WhatsApp is concerned and in the near future, we might as well end up seeing some of these ideas pop up.
Since the Facebook takeover, WhatsApp has undergone a number of significant changes and among them is defying the application’s founding principles of being simply a mobile phone-based instant messaging app. At the moment, users of WhatsApp have more options of using the app thanks to the recently introduced WhatsApp Web.
Using WhatsApp Web PC client
WhatsApp Web PC client must be used in the presence of a web browser. Just as the name suggests, this is not a native client like other apps. The only problem with this application is that it must be accessed using Firefox, Chrome or Opera. This means that if you are using a different web browser, you will not be able to use this WhatsApp Web on your PC.
WhatsApp Web has limited use. In order for you to use the services of WhatsApp on a PC, you must be using any of Android, Windows Phone, BlackBerry or Nokia phones. If you are using iOS, you will not be able to use WhatsApp Web on your PC thanks to what the company terms as “Apple platform limitations.”
If you are using any of the supported devices, all you need is to update to the latest version of WhatsApp. After that, launch the application and then tap on the menu. From there you will see a WhatsApp Web option on the menu. Click on it to launch the QR code scanner on your phone.
On your PC, start any of the supported web browsers and go to the page https://web.whatsapp.com/in order to open a QR code. Using the launched QR code scanner on your phone, scan this QR code accordingly and you will be logged into the Web client. You can now start chatting with friends from this end. However, you must keep your phone connected to the internet in order for the messages to keep coming in.
WhatsApp voice calls for all users
WhatsApp recently introduced voice calling services for Android users. This feature has yet to reach other users of WhatsApp on other platforms. However, the company is working on availing the feature for iOS, Windows Phone as well as BlackBerry users. This means that before the end of this second quarter, all users of WhatsApp will be able to make free voice calls.
Facebook Messenger and WhatsApp integration to follow
Facebook is a dynamic company and with it anything is possible. We have seen it happen with Facebook itself and it is happening with WhatsApp. While there are many users of WhatsApp anticipating the release of the video calling feature of this application, very few are aware of the possible developments between Facebook and WhatsApp.
In the near future, it is possible to see an integration of WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger, something that might end up with an app that has over 1.5 billion users from all over the world. While this might mean a lot of changes and sacrifices, it is expected that users of these services will eventually adapt to the changes. According to out insider, this change will bring Facebook close enough to mobile phone users.
At the same time, this might also mean that the WhatsApp brand is killed.This is also a very huge risk for Facebook considering the fact that they just bought the app for over $20 billion.
Do you think such a move is possible?
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