Major WhatsApp change - storing messages on Facebook servers to enable multi-device

Jan

Jan

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Major changes to WhatsApp in the works

As part of WhatsApp's forthcoming multi-device feature, the Facebook-owned messaging service will store your recent messages on its servers to give all your devices an opportunity to download them.

While these messages remain end-to-end encrypted, this is a major departure from how WhatsApp has functioned.
 
Was waiting for this, the convenience factor is just too huge for if multiple devices, already saw this issue with people wanting whatsapp on both phone and tablet, have been showing them web.whatsapp.com but you have to do stupid request desktop site to get it to work. That's pretty much impossible for people like my gran at 90, all I want is same interface on tablet so she can read news snippets easily (phone news sites play badly with pop-ups if increased font size, at least does on an old iPhone 6S and don't want to upgrade as interface changes).

And as usual, end to end encryption means nothing I they control both server and client.
 
backstreetboy said:
Lol Telegram did it since 2013. Welcome to the last decade WA.
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They have to move very slowly, if they did this in 2015 or so, no issue as only in the last few years have people really started "caring" about privacy.

This move will get backlash again as no one trusts Facebook.
 
quovadis said:
Not quite sure why there's a need to have my Whatsaspp conversations stored anywhere other than my or the recipients device post delivery. Encrypted or not.
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It's a multi device world and has been for the last 20+ years. I want to be connected at work even when I forgot my phone at home. Easier to type on a real keyboard as well. There's a million reasons...
 
And I quite frankly cannot wait

WhatsApp is the only thing holding me, as a techie, back from having multiple smartphones and switching to them on the fly.
 
backstreetboy said:
It's a multi device world and has been for the last 20+ years. I want to be connected at work even when I forgot my phone at home. Easier to type on a real keyboard as well. There's a million reasons...
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There’s nothing stopping your devices syncing to each other? The nuance of my argument is that it doesn’t justify them keeping your data centrally.
 
I hope that, now that messages will be stored server-side, we'll be able to edit them after they've been sent... So tired of all the questions when you delete a message just to fix an embarrassing spelling mistake!
 
Jan said:
I for one think it's a bad change. It's one of a few of Telegram's security decisions I disagree with.
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True from a security point of view, but Telegram does give you the Secret Chats option which solves that problem.
This way you have the convenience as well as the choice for a more secure chat, instead of just forcing the one on you.
 
quovadis said:
There’s nothing stopping your devices syncing to each other? The nuance of my argument is that it doesn’t justify them keeping your data centrally.
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engineering.fb.com

How WhatsApp enables multi-device capability

For years, people have been asking us to create a true multi-device experience that allows people to use WhatsApp on other devices without requiring a smartphone connection. Today, we’re announcing…
engineering.fb.com engineering.fb.com
 
ronz91 said:
And I quite frankly cannot wait

WhatsApp is the only thing holding me, as a techie, back from having multiple smartphones and switching to them on the fly.
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if you enrol in the beta you can already use this function
 
blunt said:
if you enrol in the beta you can already use this function
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I am on the beta on my android and iPhone.

If you mean using the it via WhatsApp Web, that's an okay solution, but no notifications is not good enough
 
ronz91 said:
I am on the beta on my android and iPhone.

If you mean using the it via WhatsApp Web, that's an okay solution, but no notifications is not good enough
Click to expand...
Haven't tried linking it to another mobile device tbh but I'm using wa desktop which still works if my phone is off/disconnected. I suspect it's only web/desktop now.
 
blunt said:
Haven't tried linking it to another mobile device tbh but I'm using wa desktop which still works if my phone is off/disconnected. I suspect it's only web/desktop now.
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its only for non android and ios devices, besides the primary device ofcoz
 
Little Mac said:
So Whatsapp is matching Telegram in the insecurity department. LMAO.
"End to end encrypted"
Click to expand...

Whatsapp uses the Signal protocol for its multi-device stuff, which appears to be on a whole other level than Telegram. Telegram's T&C's explicitly say they have the decryption keys for the data you store on their servers, so we know their multi-device implementation is pretty bleh.

Being an open-source protocol, I'm sure if they deviate from it in any meaningful way, we'll be reading headlines about it soon, but their base Signal protocol implementation seems pretty vanilla, we can only hope they do the same here.
 
Johnatan56 said:
They have to move very slowly, if they did this in 2015 or so, no issue as only in the last few years have people really started "caring" about privacy.

This move will get backlash again as no one trusts Facebook.
Click to expand...
Yet you have WhatsApp.
 
Been using the Beta for this
Personally it's fantastic not to have the dreaded "your phone is not connected" bar pop up,or can take calls on the phone or lappy while the other is off/charging elsewhere
 
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